


A Life Well Lived

by TiredandTrying



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: All characters deserve good backstory and development, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ash is not Kantonian, Ash needs lots of hugs and will eventually get said hugs, Ash was born in 1980, Attempts to explain canon, Bad representation of small towns, OCs for days - Freeform, Orphans, Orreans don't know shit about Pokemon, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Racism, Racebending, Real life elements and events, Red eyed Ash, Seriously this is gonna be about his entire life, Trying to bring in as many characters as I can, We're gonna party like it's 1990, long prologue, we're in for the long haul
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-01-17 11:34:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 34,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21266771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiredandTrying/pseuds/TiredandTrying
Summary: With his Alola win in the bag, Ash looks to his past before moving forward with his life. Ash will go on to compete in the Master Challenge as life settles down around him. Miss Delia is happily remarried with another bun in the oven, it's time he go back home to where he really belongs. Watch out Gray City!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have a significant amount of world building to do, so bear with me. Also I'm still experimenting with how I want to tell this story. Hope you all stick around.

The night air was brisk against his skin. He could smell the decaying trash on the winds and it made him cover his nose and mouth with his hand. The closer the boat crept to shore, the tenser he got and the tighter his hands gripped the boat's rails. He looked down at the polluted the waters lost in thought, "What the hell am I doing here?"  
Ash really had no idea what he was thinking. It had been a good idea at the time though.

-6 months prior-

He'd done it. He'd finally won a pokemon league. Everyone around him was cheering as he held his trophy out with his team in tow. Pikachu was practically glittering. Ash knew how much it meant to Pikachu. Not only because of everything they'd gone through, but everything Pikachu had gone through.

"Congrats Ash!"

"You really earned it, dear!"

Professor Kukui and Professor Burnett, always there to cheer him on. Of all the things that Ash had gone through in his life, he was really thankful to have met them. He ran to them and gave them the biggest hug he could and held them close. They weren't as surprised as one would think. To the outside it seemed strange for two hosts to have such an affectionate relationship with a border, so they wrote it off as a 14 year old being excited about his win. But to those who knew them thought it the most natural thing in the world.

After the cameras came, things were a bit of a blur. 

"How do you feel about your win young man?"

"Ash, what do you have to say about your growth as a trainer since the 1990 Indigo Plateau Championships?"

"Ash, what do you plan to do next?"

"Are you going to do the Master Challenge?"

"What hustle did you pull kid, no way you won fair and square?"

There's always a nay sayer.

"That's enough!"

And too bad for this guy that Kukui didn't take shit from anyone. 

"All the competition in the Alola League was carefully monitored and within the league guidelines. Furthermore, all competing trainers had equal treatment and there was no cheating found by our staff. This was a legitimate win and I would request you don't make light of our league."

Kukui had been working on his public relations talk for a while. Ash remembered lounging around on the couch after dinner with Pikachu and Rotomdex watching detective shows. Except while the pokemon were busy with the TV, he was watching Kukui and Burnette prepping for the league at the kitchen table, more specifically the cameras. 

"This sucks"

"Well you wanted Alola to have a league dear. You should've known this kind thing was gonna happen."

"But I can't believe that I have to deal with this much bullshit."

Burnett always knew Kukui was the type to be straight with people, even if he came off crass. That's why it was just that much more hysterical to watch him try to become a follow the rule, no tolerance, straight faced hardass like the rest of the league directors and their PR army. But that didn't mean she didn't feel for him. Especially because she knew how little he was working with. 

She sat down next to him and put her arm around him, "This is your dream. Don't let something like having to fake it for investors or dealing with the media. And remember, you're not in this alone. You have me, the Kahunas, and all our friends standing right next to you to help." She finished her point with a kiss to Kukui's cheek.

And those few sweet words and simple gesture were enough to make Kukui put his papers down and hold Burnett's face in his hands. "What would I do without you?"

Ash never did get to see how things ended because right after Rowlet fell from his perch on the bookcase onto Torracat and Lycanroc below. He was thrashing because of a nightmare and that riled up the rest. At some point when he was trying to break it up, Rowlet ended up on his face.

"Rowlet!"

Kinda like right now.

"Hey buddy, you did so well your last match. You're so much stronger than when we first met."

Rowlet preened under all the praise Ash showered him with. The rest of the team wanted they're time with Ash too, but Burnette came over to escort them away from the cameras making the excuse that he needed to get ready for the celebratory luau.

"Thank Goodness," thought Ash.


	2. Chapter 2

The boat got closer to shore, and the putrid stench that was once far away was much more potent up close. The captain hadn't said anything to him, but Ash knew that he needed to get off the boat fast before he changed his mind about their deal. Maybe he shouldn't have done such a good job with the work he'd been given during the journey. They saw value in a hard worker like him, and his skill too since half the crew didn't even know how to manage the sails and engines like he did. Little did they know all that work was out of paranoia. The sinking of the Saint Anne had made Ash extremely wary of seafaring travel, but he had to get over it during his journey. There's only so much you could avoid it. Porter from the cruise he took in the Decolore Islands with Iris and Cilan seemed to notice his discomfort and figured he was just another kid who was traveling by ship for the first time (the truth probably would have horrified him). Porter probably thought teaching him a little about the boats mechanics would put him at ease. It did, and it was super useful right now. These sailors were so used to being on a ship that they ignore a lot of maintenance. Ash did not want be part of a second major shipwreck thank you very much.

As soon as the boat docked Ash grabbed his bag , held it close to the lump on his jacketed chest and booked it. He didn't even stop once he was on the dock. Despite how tired he was from the trip, his memories of the place were more than enough to make his legs work faster to get outta there. He ran through the cold night as far away from the docks, and especially the cargo yard, as fast as he could. "Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea." Was all he could think.

-6 months ago-

The luau was a blast. Kiawe performed his incredible dance with Marowak and Mallow's family catered the entire event. It was more than Ash thought he deserved. He navigated the festivities as best he could, lots of people were congratulating him and wanting to talk to him or have him join in a few Alolan dances. He did his best to receptive of all the attention, especially since he knew how much they'd rooted for him. 

Ash loved Alola so much. He'd made friends with a lot of locals during his stay. It wasn't hard to love the kid since he was so friendly. Always ready to help at the fall of a hat, as Mr. Kama's usually did when he took his walks through the markets to work out his bad knee. The boy would also help Mrs. Palakiko carry her shopping not minding one bit that the woman had a big family to feed and bought nearly twice as much to satisfy them. Having him as their champion might give the other kids a good role model. Not only was he kind but he was respectful to the elders.

If he wasn't with Kukui or his friends or exploring the islands that he'd be at the island elder's home learning about Alolan history and culture. A few still liked to tell the story of how he broke a wall at the home while training with his pokemon nearby and spent a week fixing it with his own hands. By the time he was done, he knew the names of all the residents and workers. It was heartwarming to see such a young boy bring so much happiness to everyone around him. There were a lot of people happy for Ash.

And Ash was happy that there were no cameras or reporters in his face. There were a few roaming around the festivities for PR purposes, but Burnette had been clear that they should not bother the boy unless they wanted to get kicked out. He didn't understand what the fuss was about until Lillie explained it to him.

Apparently he had a healthy following in the pokemon industry. Since he'd been doing this from not only such a young age but even placing consistently, he was a fan favorite. The cameras were there for the fans who couldn't be there in person to see him. 

The thought was strange to him. People he didn't even know had been rooting for him. Despite the weirdness he felt about it, it put a warm feeling in his stomach. After dancing with Ms. Kekoa from the elder's home he excused himself. Ash wanted to walk around a bit.

He was content to just watch as his friends have fun with the festivities. Lana and Poplio and Sophocles and Togedamaru danced along to Kiawe and Marowak's lead. Mallow helped served food for the guests and was in full restaurant hostess mode, but he could see she was happy. Lillie and Gladion were getting along as well and talking with their mother. He even saw the three of them laughing. It really was a wonderful sight especially with all that they'd been through. 

Lillie seemed really distant one day at school, so after class Ash asked if she was okay. It ended up in him accompanying her to her huge home again. They filled the time by playing with the pokemon and even going through some of her books. a particular book though, a storybook, had really upset Lillie. It was one her father had read to her many nights when she was younger. He'd let Lillie cry on his shoulder that day. The loneliness of her big house had been getting to her, especially since it was getting near the day her father had disappeared. It was hard to see someone as nice as Lillie cry so hard and seem so miserable, but there wasn't much he could do other than be a good friend and support her. He spent the next month making sure she was never lonely, and the rest of the class were more then eager to follow along on their adventures. He'd worried about her the entire time, especially because he'd caught her with a particular look on her face. One he'd seen on a few others during his travels. That look always haunted him. He did everything in his power to make sure she didn't make it again. Thankfully, some luck came her way and she was able to reunite with her mother and brother. That huge smile on her face let him know things were going to be okay.

He walked over to his pokemon. Rowlet had fallen asleep again. While the rest were making the most of the feast. They only stopped eating when the noticed Ash. They wanted their praise like Rowlet had gotten and Ash figured fair was fair. While he gave them affectionate hugs and pats, even wrestling a little with Lycanroc, he noticed someone was missing. 

Pikachu had slipped away. He told his pokemon to keep enjoying themselves and left to look around for Pikachu. He had to dart and weave through the crowds, turn down people's offers of food, dances, and interviews while avoiding cameras as best he could. Eventually, he spotted Pikachu, who was staring right at him from some bushes of the forest near the edge of the luau grounds. Pikachu darted in the forest, and Ash knew he wanted him to follow. Taking one last look behind him, Kukui and Burnette were busy with cameras, officials and festivities, he was sure they wouldn't notice him gone for a bit. He followed his fuzzy buddy into the forest to wherever he wanted to take him.


	3. Chapter 3

Ash followed Pikachu through the forest. When Pikachu stopped, they were standing in the middle of Mele Mele Meadow's flower fields. Ash walked over and sat down next to him and pulled him into his lap. He stroked Pikachu's fur and asked, "Is everything alright buddy?"

Pikachu looked up at his boy. He was in a weird place right now. When Pikachu had met Ash four years ago, it was a mess. Henry had abandoned him three months before and suddenly he'd ended up in a rookie's care. 

Henry was a strong trainer, no one on their team lost a fight. Pikachu wanted so badly to be like them. In fact, the admiration he'd felt for Henry and his team is what helped him to evolve. Henry had gotten Pikachu as an egg from a breeding farm and raised him from a Pichu to a Pikachu. 

He'd pushed Pikachu in so many ways to make sure he was stronger than the average Pikachu, like having him continuously use thunder to build up stamina or use his attacks on rocks, boulders, even small mountains to build up strength. But despite all the training that Henry gave him, they never really clicked in battle. It was because the rest of his team were big and hard hitters while Pikachu was tiny and quick.

Henry thought evolving would help Pikachu, but Pikachu didn't want to evolve. He'd met a mean Riachu who was really full of himself when they were in Saffron City. That Raichu was a huge bully. Pokemon who had known the Raichu before he fully evolved said that he wasn't like that before, that the evolution had messed with his head as it does with some Pokemon. The experience had turned him off evolving any further.

He'd made Henry angry by refusing to get near the thunder stone. In the end, he increased Pikachu's training regiment and threatened to release him if he kept losing. Pikachu would also be punished with long periods of being left in his pokeball for disobeying Henry or not performing up to his standards. That was really difficult for Pikachu to deal with because he loved being outside and seeing the new sights that came with traveling. 

But Pikachu dealt with it, because he wanted to stay with Henry and his team. It went well for a while, Pikachu had even been Henry's cincher in their Fucshia City Gym win. Unfortunately after that, Pikachu had lost one too many times on Cinnabar Island and so he'd been released there. Pikachu was upset with himself then, and even wanted to chase after Henry and beg to be taken back. He'd spent days searching for Henry on the Island, but it was too late, Henry had left the Island by boat soon after releasing Pikachu. 

That's when Pikachu had finally called it quits. Even though he loved Henry, Arcanine, Fearow, Gyarados, Venasaur and Scyther as his family, he knew they didn't feel the same way. Because he was weak. Even in his low spirits and loneliness, the island life got old to Pikachu fast, so he'd hitched a ride on one of the boat that went down Route 21. He'd ended up at Pallet Town's port, but he didn't want to deal with humans after Henry, so he made his way into the surrounding forests. 

Life in the wild was hard, especially because he'd always been with humans, even as an egg. The wild pokemon weren't kind to trained pokemon, partially out of jealousy because they were so well groomed and well fed. Others thought he was weak after spending so much time with the humans. Pikachu had quickly set them straight on that accusation.

The Pallet and Route 1 forests had plenty of food for all, but the strong liked to take more than their fair share, which made things harder. Pikachu somehow found himself the protector of the weaker pokemon. He tried to make sure things were more fair in the forests and he'd fight anyone who tried to do otherwise. He even trained some of the pokemon with what he'd learned from time spent watching Gyarados, Venasaur and Scyther train, so the Poliwag, Oddish, and Caterpie could fight for themselves. It was a strange position to be in after he'd been released, but it kept him busy and his mind from wandering back to his memories.

One thing he missed immensely while travelling with Henry was human prepared food. Don't get him wrong, berries were great, but pokemon food was amazing. In fact, the craving is what had gotten him to go anywhere near Pallet Town. 

At first he'd only skim a little off the top of the pokefood left for the domesticated pokemon by their humans, but he'd heard from the grapevine that the big white building with the fenced enclosure filled with lots of different types of pokemon, some he'd never seen before, had the best food. One night, when he'd been feeling a bit more reckless than usual, he'd made his way to the big white building. Unfortunately, there wasn't any food in the fenced grounds' feeding area, but he knew where the humans kept their food from his time with Henry. 

Lots of windows were opened because there was a particularly nice breeze going that night, so it was more than easy to get in. It was dark on the inside, but he'd used his nose. When he'd found the food, he was glad that he'd taken a risk that night. It was some of the best pokefood he'd ever had! Too bad he didn't get to enjoy it for long. A light went on and he was put out by a Hypno. 

When Pikachu came to, he was lying on a cold steel examining table under a bright light and in front of an older human with a white coat wearing rubber gloves. Ugh, that red and white prison was in his hand.

He'd been captured. Scyther told him that's how he joined Henry's party. He'd apparently fought Venasaur when he was an Ivysaur, been weakened in battle, and captured. It sounded so cool to Pikachu at the time. He'd completely forgotten that he could be captured after he'd been released. Compared to Scyther's capture story his was a downright shame. Captured while put to sleep, seriously?

Pikachu didn't want another human to boss him around. He'd had enough of humans after Henry.

"Well hello there little fella. I was just about to put you in your ball. You passed all you exams with flying colors and other than a few scrapes that I took care of you have a clean bill of health."

The man smiled whiled he talked to Pikachu. Henry had stopped smiling when talking to Pikachu a long while ago. That's why Pikachu felt a little bad about what happened next.

"Ow!"

He had jumped on the old man and bit him. Pikachu was going to make a break for it, but the man's Dragonite caught him in his arms and the man returned him to his ball.

The next time Pikachu was released, he was much more restricted. It was in a glass pen with railing in the front. One cage to another. 

"I should've seen that coming. I have no idea what you've been through, but something tells me it was a bad experience with a human."

Pikachu looked at the man. How the hell had he known?

"I figured as much. Let me introduce myself Pikachu, I am Samuel Oak a pokemon professor. I research and study pokemon, but one of my other jobs as a professor is to supply new trainers with their first pokemon. I've seen more than a few pokemon like you in my line of work. A normal wild pokemon wouldn't have a glossy coat and well kept paws like yours. I'm gonna take a shot in the dark. You were abandoned weren't you."

That pissed Pikachu off. It was time for him to leave. He'd tried to use Thunder to break out of the prison, but nothing happened.

"I'm afraid that won't work Pikachu. Glass is an insulator and the bars are coated in thick rubber. Don't bother tackling either, the material is too thick for you body mass to make even a crack You won't be able to get out easily."

The hell was up with this guy. Pikachu all but growled at the man, but made sure his disdain was more than apparent on his face.

"Now, now, I didn't mean to say that to upset you. I just wanted you to know that I understand your situation. And more than anything I want you to understand what happened wasn't your fault."

Well that was different. Pikachu eased up his attitude. What does this guy mean. He studies pokemon and works with trainers right? He should know that a weak pokemon is bound to get abandoned.

"You see, I believe all pokemon are capable of greatness. It's up to the trainer to help them unlock their full potential. That's why some Pokemon are only capable of evolving through their bond with their trainer. My study focuses are actually the relationships between humans and pokemon," He said to Pikachu smiling.

Pikachu knew that much, after all that's how he'd evolved himself. He knew it was possible to evolve in the wild too, but a Pichu needed to have a good relationship with it's pack or a pokemon who'd taken guardianship over it. So what was this man trying to get at.

"That being said. A trainer who takes on a pokemon and then abandons it is a disgrace. It means they couldn't figure out how to help you grow."

Now he had Pikachu's attention. No one ever blamed the trainer, it was always the pokemon's fault. All the Pokemon he'd met who had trainers had told him to get stronger or else he'd be kicked off his team.

"It's unfortunate that the Pokemon League industry is built on rewarding this type of behavior. That's what your trainer was doing wasn't he."

Maybe this professor guy really knew what he was talking about. Henry had explained it to him when he was a Pichu. The pokemon fight to indulge their instincts, but the humans do it for money, which helped them in trades, and glory, that apparently came with small pieces of metal called badges. They had to beat other teams of Pokemon and humans who were called gym leaders to get them. All so they could compete in the championships where the strongest fought and the most money and glory could be sought. 

Henry had wanted to win the championships and become a gym leader and eventually an elite four member, the best four specialized trainers in a region, but he also wanted to aim for Pokemon Master, a title given to the best trainers. Someone who had beat the elite fours and the champions of all the regions in the circuit. Apparently no one had accomplished it yet because it was one thing to beat the champion and Elite Four of one region, but whole 'nother thing to beat the champions and Elite Fours of all the regions. In order to do so, he trained a team of one speciality, grass, and a team of mixed types, the one Pikachu was on. Pikachu had never really met the grass team, but Venasaur told him they were strong, and that meant a lot considering Venasaur was Henry's starter and his strongest.

Human society was complicated, but even he as a Pokemon could understand wanting to be the strongest. It's why Pokemon fought each other. And the more they competed, the more Pikachu wanted to win and be the strongest. 

But instead of continuing to help Pikachu grow and become stronger, Henry had just given up on him. When he was a Pichu, Henry had been more hands on in helping him learn. Later he'd realize that was only in order to help build a bond and help Pikachu evolve. It kinda made Pikachu sad to think that his admiration and affection for Henry that had led him to evolve had been due to ulterior motives, but that was only after he'd meet Ash. But by then, he wouldn't give a damn about the time he'd spent with Henry.

After he'd evolved, much of his training was more independent, less training cues and critiques from Henry, lots of obstacle courses and new challenges to his strength. When he didn't figure new techniques out with what he was given or show any growth in his abilities, Henry would become frustrated. 

Pikachu thought something was wrong with him since he'd seen the others learn independently of Henry. Venasaur had figured out solarbeam on his own and Gyarados had learned hyperbeam on her own. They said it was just nature, which made Pikachu feel even more defective. But this man, a man who studies pokemon and understood trainers, seemed to be saying that as his trainer Henry should have been doing more to help him.

That made Pikachu feel...liberated. All this time he'd felt as though there was something wrong with him, that he was just weak, but now he understood that it was just that he wasn't being guided well or challenged in the right ways.

Now all the tension from Pikachu was gone. His ears even flopped down.

Professor Oak knew he finally understood what he was getting at. "I see I've struck a chord. Don't worry little one. One day a trainer will come who'll be perfect for you."

...Forget the man's credentials. He's a quack. No way Pikachu was gonna deal with another human again. He was doing just fine in the wild. But... he stuck with the professor for a little while longer, and behaved more. The food was definitely worth it. And just a short week, when he'd been released from his ball expecting to see Professor Oak, he'd see a young human with unkempt black hair, skin darker than most humans he'd met, were those scars on his cheeks and something he'd never seen in humans: red eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

At the time, Pikachu was pissed that this is who was supposed to train him. This scrawny, young boy who probably could barely take care of himself. From what Pikachu could tell, Henry was an adult human, the same height as most of the humans they'd come across, but well built, and more importantly experienced. He knew that Henry was capable the moment he'd hatched and met him. But this kid in front him, someone should really be taking care of him. He's so tiny, almost sickly. He barely looked old enough to be going on a Pokemon journey.

All Pikachu could think was that the quack professor was clearly undergoing an episode of some madness or high on one of the grass pokemon's scents. Why else would he try to unload a pokemon that was as trained as him on a rookie? 

He'd later remember it to be the best day of his life, and be thankful to Professor Oak for giving him his boy, under some mental break or influence or not.

Looking back Pikachu wasn't proud of how he'd treated Ash. He was glad that he'd established early on with Ash that he hated being in the pokeball. At first, it was because it reminded him of the times Henry punished him. Later on, it was because he didn't want to let his boy out of his sight even for a second, especially considering the trouble that Ash would get in. Arceus, that boy was an Absol's worst nightmare and could cause Pikachu's fur to white from worry.

However, Pikachu did have a list of things he wished he hadn't done. He'd regretted shocking him. He regretted not listening to him. He regretted provoking those Spearow, even though it was by accident, when he'd been flicking rocks at the boy using his tail trying to get Ash to abandon him, like Henry had, so he could go back to his life in the wild. 

But...when the boy tried to shield him from that swarm of Spearow and the Fearow, something told him Ash was different from Henry. At first, Pikachu just thought it was because the kid was inexperienced and that he should protect him since he knew better. With that decision, Pikachu had taken his first steps into opening his heart to the boy by taking out the Spearow and Fearow. And Ash just kept giving him reasons to love him after that, from showing him how much he cared about Pokemon and people alike. 

It started with him rushing Pikachu to the Pokemon Center, even after how terribly he'd treated him. And it continued into protecting the Pokemon Center and pokemon from Team Rocket. And that all just happened their first day together, but it set the tone of what the rest of their adventures together would be like.The boy was always ready to help someone in need no matter the trouble it got him in. Henry only cared about himself and getting stronger. 

Henry had berated Pikachu before releasing him about how much time and effort had been wasted on him. Ash was different. Ash had raised a Caterpie with so much love into an incredible Butterfree, rescued a swarm of wild Butterfree from Team Rocket and cried when he'd let his own Butterfree go to be with his mate. Never once mentioning that he regretted the time he spent raising the pokemon. He'd even tried to do the same with Pikachu at one point, ready to release him into the wild Pikachu colony if that was really what he'd wanted. But by that point, Pikachu was too invested in Ash. His interest was highly peaked.

So Pikachu stayed with him. Pikachu observed him. Pikachu helped him. Pikachu comforted him. And by the time he'd realized what he was doing, he already loved his boy more than a trainer. More than even how domestic Pokemon who weren't used for battles, pageantry, or tending to the lands and lived as pets loved their humans. Ash was his family and Pikachu never wanted to leave his side.

It was so easy to love him. Ash was so different from Henry. Ash didn't mind spending a day helping a kid who didn't want to let down his brothers explain to them that he loved his Eevee and didn't want to evolve him. Or help another kid who was being bullied at a Pokemon school become friends with his tormentors. Or taking a day to help a man who love Pikachus to make a movie. Do anything other than train really because he was adventurous and caring, a dangerous combo Pikachu would learn. 

Ash didn't mind taking in abandoned Pokemon and helping them become their strongest in whatever way he could. Which was insane to Pikachu, but interesting. Whether it was not forcing his Pokemon to evolve against their will and helping them to make the most of their body and abilities, loving them even when they didn't obey him, letting them go to be more happy, or extended one on one training that wasn't efficient for an industry trainer, but meaningful to his pokemon, Ash really was unique in a weirdly incredible way. 

Henry had expected Pikachu to learn as quickly as possible with minimal guidance. Ash would take days teaching Tailow Aerial Ace, teaching Staravia Brave Bird, weeks working on volt tackle and electroball with Pikachu, even months helping Turtwig adjust to his body as Grotle and then as Torterra, all one on one and extremely hands on. This boy had surprised him at every turn. 

The first time they'd battled together in a gym, it was far from perfect. In fact it was a disaster. Ash and no clue what he was doing. They barely made it through matches. But with each passing battle, he could see that Ash was learning. The boy had potential. More worrying, though, was that Ash was kind. Kinder than trainers should be. 

He never forced Pikachu into a battle he wasn't comfortable with. Most would think that such kindness would be dangerous for a young trainer, in fact Misty and Brock would scold him for it, but the boy never stopped being that way. At first, even Pikachu had thought it was a sign of weakness, but Ash always did like to prove people wrong. 

Being with him through his growth as a battler was like going from 0 to 100 in under 10 seconds. He was awkward at first, but when he'd found his footing, it was incredible. The boy was so creative, almost everything the kid did in official battles was improvised, hare brained, yet ended up fantastical. Once he got a handle of battling he'd even stopped caring for type advantages which was a corner stone of battle strategies. The strange thing was that Ash always seemed to know his pokemon's limits. All they had to do was trust him and follow his orders. He was the furthest thing from a traditional trainer and battler and Pikachu loved it. 

He loved how friendly his boy was, always seeming to attract people and Pokemon alike. Pikachu had met so many great beings because of Ash. Henry traveled alone, Ash always found people and pokemon to accompany them within days of a new adventure.

Almost all of the Pokemon in their family had come along voluntarily, something he'd never thought possible before he'd met Ash. The ones Ash actually had tried to catch fell in love with him much sooner than was normal of wild pokemon, at least from what he'd seen with Henry, and even then it was just admiration of his strength.

And then there was the run ins with the lengendaries. That...was something Pikachu could never have expected. He'd learned about the legendaries from older Pokemon, ones on Henry's team, ones he'd met in the towns they stopped in for restocking, or from those who lived in the forests and didn't mind talking to a human handled Pokemon who couldn't sleep some nights because he was upset that he wasn't getting stronger.

He'd been told that these Pokemon were difficult to meet, some of whom were thought to just be the stuff of dreams. And Ash...his boy... seemed to run into each and every single one of them without trying. People spent lifetimes looking for just one of those beings and Ash just stumbles into them. Even the ones he'd thought were made up to scare bad little pokemon, like Darkrai. 

And it wasn't like a simple sighting either. Every single time they needed Ash's help. It was ... upsetting. They were supposed to be these great beings with power beyond those of normal Pokemon like himself and Ash's team. So why the hell do they turn to his boy, a friggin' child, and their little family whenever they're in some sort of mess. 

Sometimes it couldn't be helped, like when Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres and Lugia were being hunted by that creep, or Celebi was lost, or Latios and Latias were in danger because of those thieving sisters, but fucking Deoxys and Rayquaza was where he'd drawn the line and that was a long time ago. And that bastard Mewtwo better not be coming near Ash when he's not there to supervise because both he and Ash remember that New Island shitshow. And they even met the Original One, Arceus, not long ago and saved them. By, that point Pikachu wasn't even phased, despite knowing deep down that he'd help save the originator of Pokemon. All he cared about was making sure Ash didn't get hurt.

He'd learned pretty quick that Ash was special before all the legendary stuff, but Pikachu just thought he was a unique kid. Whatever this chosen one stuff was, it definitely was unexpected, but no way he'd leave his boy to take care of those messes alone. He'd be there to protect his boy. But Ash, selfless Ash, always treating himself like a martyr, taking action when everyone else is frozen in fear, talking sense to beings he should have no idea how to, shouldn't have to, made it difficult to protect him. He'd rush into trouble without a second thought. After all, the boy was always ready to help someone in need no matter the trouble it got him in. Those legendaries probably knew about the boy's kindness and that's why they relied on him so much. They might actually be seeking Ash out on purpose.

It pissed Pikachu off. They just had to use his boy who was small and naive, but so full of love. Why the fuck couldn't they use someone like Henry, grown, expendable even if things went south. He'd thought maybe they'd get away from it all in Alola, but Tapu Koko had come after Ash the day they'd gotten here. And then they had to help those legendaries or ultra beasts, whatever they were, that weren't even from this dimension. He had enough problems keeping Ash safe without involving the multiverse. Especially their legendaries. Because it's not just legendaries it's also crime syndicates.

And don't even get him started on the crime syndicates. The Team Rocket squad that chases them used to worry Pikachu, but they don't even try anymore. They moreso just go though the motions. Pikachu knows they love Ash. But the rest of those bastards, Aqua, Magma, Galactic, Plasma, Flare and whoever else is out there can fuck off. And Lysander is never allowed to even be in the same region as Ash if Pikachu can help it. And Alain is on Pikachu's watch list till the day he dies. Same for that creep N. At least Team Skull and the Aether people were chill compared to what they're used to. 

And to think this had all started with Pikachu telling him how badly he wanted this. How badly he wanted to be a championship winner. How badly he wanted to be the Pokemon Master's pokemon. How badly he wanted to show his jackass of a previous trainer that he was worth more than he'd thought. Henry didn't matter anymore, Ash did. Which is why Pikachu didn't care that they'd lost so many championships, even the ones that they'd thrown. All Pikachu cared about was being with Ash now.


	5. Chapter 5

Ash just wanted to leave Pallet Town, and at nearly 10 years old being a trainer was his only way out. He'd gone the gym route because Gary used to go on and and on about it, so he understood it. Making money from it was helpful too. It was Pikachu who put the whole Pokemon Master thing in his head. Ash didn't really know what else to do after getting out of Pallet, but helping Pikachu achieve his dream was as good a plan as any, especially because it kept them clothed, fed and gave them some purpose.

When Ash had arrived in Pallet Town nearly three years before the start of his Pokemon journey, at the age of 7, maybe, he'd been a mess and was at the brink of death by hunger. He didn't know how long he'd been on the boat, but it was definitely at least a few days. He was able to sneak away a couple water bottles from the cargo of the ship or else he would have been in real trouble. At the time, he didn't care where the the boat was going. All he knew was that he needed to get out of Gray. He'd escaped with only the clothes on his back, and even those were torn and stained with blood splatter.

When the boat docked, he snuck off the boat when the sailors weren't looking. He tried to read the signs, but he didn't recognize the characters. Either he was dizzy from his hunger or looks like he's in a whole different region. And then he saw them. Little blue beings crowding around the people, bull like animals helping pull crates off the boat, and little dogs that could breathe fire and helped to light a man's candle. He'd heard of these things before from some of the adults back home. What were they called? Doreamon? No, that's a comic in the paper? Something -mon. People were starting to stare so he started to walk. He kept walking until he the path ended and hightailed it into the woods.

Man was he hungry. He saw something blue and round in the bush and thought it might be a berry. 

"Oddish!"

Either berries in this region were alive or this was another one of those -mon things.

"Vileplume!"

Definitely a mon. Which had just called it's mother to protect it. As Ash tried to run away, he was covered in some sort of white pollen by the mama that made him feel really sleepy. Last thing he remember before keeling over were footsteps coming towards him like someone was running.

When he came to, he was in a bedroom. It was a lot nicer than any of the bedrooms he'd been in, but he was done with this kind of life. He'd rather take his chances with the mon in the wild. He'd heard you could train them, so there was hope there. He got out of the bed and went over to the window. It sucked that he was on the second floor, but he could make the jump. And boy was he excited to get out. Wherever he was, it was gorgeous. Open fields of green, mountains in the distance, quaint little houses on the horizon. Like off of a bread package's label.

When he opened the windows, he breathed in the best air he'd ever had. It was warm, clean, no weird pieces to be inhaled, and smelled like perfume but better. It even tasted sweet. He'd never had this back in Gray, but then again Gray was a concrete jungle compared to this little town. Maybe he'd died on the boat and this was heaven. He didn't think he'd make it in, but maybe whoever or whatever was in charge liked kids. If this was heaven, no way he was gonna stay stuck in some bedroom. Just as he was straddling the window sill to jump out, taking note that he was much higher than expected, the door to the room opened up.

It was older man in a lab coat, he was speaking quickly almost angrily. Ash was definitely not in heaven. This place was too nice to be hell. He definitely was in a new region, and he didn't wanna deal with this guy. No way a lab coat could mean anything good. He made his jump and heard the man scream loudly. Instead of hitting the ground, he landed on something warm and fuzzy. It looked like a bigger version of the fire dog from the docks. The big fire dog licked him and held him in his paws. It felt really nice, especially since it's been a while since he'd been held so lovingly. He likes to think that's the reason why he was distracted long enough for the old man from upstairs to make his way down to him. Now Ash did try to make a break for it for it when he saw the man, but his legs had given out. Not eating for so long could really slow a kid down.

The man had said a few more things to as he came over, he was definitely upset with Ash. Normally, Ash would have been scared, but he just didn't have the energy for it. The man stopped yelling at some point, took Ash in his arms and started walking into the house. This was really setting off the warning bells in his head, but he was too tired. At least the nice big fire dog was following them.

The man kept saying things to Ash, but he had no idea what it was. Until the man took him into the biggest kitchen Ash had ever seen and set him in front of food. They were finally speaking the same language. There were no utensils, just sticks he's seen people use to eat in the Oblivia town district of Gray. His friend Zhang Yong tried to teach him how to use them at one point, and laughed when he'd failed. He never did get how to use those things. So he went with old reliable, his hands. He dug into the rice and picked up the meat and veggies on the other plates too. He really should have been eating slower, in fact he threw up later that day because the food was too rich for his stomach and he didn't chew enough, but he was just so hungry. The lab coat guy had a weird look on his face, his mouth was hanging open, but when it came to food Ash didn't give a damn what other people thought. At some point, the lab coat guy had sat down at the table and waited for him to finish. He only started talking again after Ash had chugged down a huge glass of water. Since he was full, thinking more clearly, and felt a bit indebted to the man, Ash figured he could try responding. He first tried responding in his first tongue, common Orrean spoken in Gray, which really seemed to surprise the guy and throw him for a loop. When the man recovered, he kept talking in that language that Ash didn't know and he was getting up from the table. Then he'd remembered that big sister Kiara had told him that Galarian, the major language spoken in Orre, was basically universal because they used to be in charge of a lot regions during the warring times. So Ash tried Galarian.

"I don't understand what your saying sir."

Kiara had always taught him to mind his manners.

Seemed like Kiara was right, like she usually was, because the man didn't leave the table and seemed like he was finally following what Ash was saying.

"Good to know young man."

That was how He'd met Professor Oak. He introduced himself as a Kantonian Pokemon researcher. Apparently he was studying those things in the forest that had put him to sleep. He was in Kanto? Kiara had pointed it out to him on a map once, and it was really far from Orre. Good. And those animals with powers are called Pokemon?

He'd asked Ash some basic information like his name and how old he was, but when he asked where Ash was from that was when the answers stopped coming. Ash didn't want to tell the man about Gray out of fear of being sent back. His stomach couldn't have had better timing because that was when he threw up.

The Professor guy herded him into a bathroom and told him to shower. He was afraid that he'd made the man upset and what that would mean, but he did really feel gross from his journey, throwup non-withstanding. The Professor had opened the door one last time for him to had off some clothes and a towel. Apparently the man had a grandson around Ash's age, but based of the clothes his grandkid was much further along in his development than Ash. Hearing that the man had his own kids made Ash feel more at ease and trusting. Those clean nice clothes were what really made Ash take a shower, his were stained, torn and now smelling. 

The shower was nice and it helped to ease the tension in his muscles. Ash had been sure to clean himself throughly. He didn't want any of what happened in Gray to linger. When he stepped out of the bathroom in the very roomy shirt and pants, the the shirt was almost hanging off his shoulder and the he had to pull tight on the pants' draw stings and tie them to make sure they didn't slip off as well as roll up the pant legs to not trip, and walked back to the kitchen, everything was clean again. 

The Professor was cooking too. It was a light soup that would be easy on his stomach. Another person was there as well. The woman had introduced herself as Dr. Yukiko, Pallet Town's kid doctor. Ash was a but more receptive to Dr. Yukiko than the Professor. She had a kind smile and said she had a son and daughter his age. While she performed her exams like weighing him and checking his eyes, ears and heart she told him about Leaf who liked to learn about grass type Pokemon and her twin brother Fire who liked to learn about fire type Pokemon and how they'd get into fights with each other and Professor Oak's grandson Gary about which were better. After she finished the tests, she was upset with the results. Ash had acute malnutrition and early signs of dehydration.

They tried to ask him more questions about where he came from and who was looking after him. At first, Ash was resistant because he was still uncomfortable in his new surroundings, but they'd been nothing but nice to him and the big fire dog was there cuddling him and making him feel safe. So he told them enough to let him stay. He told them he was from a region far from this one. He told them his parents had died a long time ago and that his caretakers had disappeared two years ago. He told them how comfy he'd been in his one day here and that he wanted to stay.


	6. Chapter 6

Samuel Oak had seen a lot in his 63 years, but this kid definitely took the cake. He'd been going through the motions gathering his data on the habits of the Oddish line. Specifically, on what influences in their infancy could contribute to their inclination to become a Vileplume or Bellosom when they become adults. It wasn't really the type of research he was into, but his friend Professor Rowan wanted his input on a few Kantonian Pokemon. He was in no position to turn him down either because he owed Rowan after being strapped for cash during the last pokemon professor poker night after the 1985 research summit in Kalos. That was nearly 2 years ago, but no way Rowan would let him off for it.

And then that kid came out of nowhere. He was paralyzed. He'd never seen someone so...emaciated before. Added to that, this was a child! By the time he got a hold of himself, the kid had already gone down. He had Arcanine scare the Oddish and Vileplume away, so he could get to the boy. Picking up the boy was a chilling experience. Why is he so light? 

What followed after was just a mess. He finished preparing some food for the kid, hopefully to get his strength up, and calling the his friend and the town OB/Gyne and pediatrician Dr. Aspen Yukiko. When he went up to the bedroom he'd placed the boy in, the last thing he expected to see was him on the window sill and ready to jump. He swore to Dialga, Palkia and Giratina, he thought he was about to have a heart attack. It was lucky that Arcanine was nearby or else that tiny boy would've broken. Just imagining it made Sam shudder in fear.

The worst Gary had ever done was fall from a low tree, and that was something he'd laughed off as he held his crying grandson while gently scolding him. Nothing wrong with a few scraps and bruises when you're young, but didn't mean he was going to shirk his duty as a loving grandfather. And those reflexes had kicked in. Except instead of easy going scolding and gentle comforting, he was out of breath, panicked and just that more sure he had a heart attack coming on. 

He tried to ask the boy why he jumped while carrying him back into the house and to the kitchen. It became pretty clear that he wasn't getting answers till the boy ate. It made him feel better that the kid was eating, but the way he did made his insides turn. What had this boy been through? When was the last time he ate? Who was supposed to be taking care of him?

To be honest, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know that last one. Clearly whoever was taking care of him was not a fit guardian. And he wasn't sure what he'd do if he came across them.

Talking to the boy was an experience. He spoke in a different language at first, one even Sam hadn't heard before, and he worked with professors from all around the world. At least they could talk in Galarian together. 

So his name is Ash Ketchum, he's seven, and he just threw up. Sam should have known better to feed something so heavy to someone who hadn't eaten in a while. Deep down, he was hoping the kid was just small and that he wasn't as hungry as he thought. He hated being right sometimes. The boy is near Gary's age for goodness sake, and Gary is a head taller than him. 

And his name is...Ash Ketchum? To be honest, that name seemed familiar, but from where. It wouldn't be difficult to forget a kid like that. Not just because of how brittle he looked or that his skin tone was unusual for this region, or even because of the scars under his eyes, which were concerning. It because of his eyes. Big red eyes. Definitely unusual outside of some cases of albinism in humans. This boy didn't seem like he had the condition, dark hair and skin non withstanding, and the red color of his eyes were solid, not indicating the blood vessels. 

Ding ding!

Oh thank Arceus! Aspen is finally. Sam was at a loss of what to do with the boy. At least he had some help now. 

Aspen said to prepare a light soup that would be easy on the boy's stomach as she walked into kitchen. She figured he was malnourished by what Sam had said over the phone. He just wished she'd said something before he'd made the kid throw up, but the connection at the Idas' was not great. He should be thankful she made if over this quick. She was actually on call at the Ida household looking over the kids who have been sick with chicken pox for a week already, and Mr. Ida is the biggest worry wart he's ever had the pleasure of meeting. Sam shuddered to think what it must have taken to convince the man the children were doing well and excuse herself to come see the boy.

When the boy came out and she checked him over, Sam really didn't like the look on her face. Looks like Ivy hated being right too. And was just as worried about those scars as he was. Learning more about Ash was... elucidating. Orphan? Missing guardians? The kid's condition was starting to make more sense, and Sam didn't like it.

Sam wasn't sure what the right thing to do in this situation would be. This was more trouble than they'd ever get in a town like Pallet. In fact, the last big thing to happen in Pallet was Red falling down the well while he and Green were messing around near it. A neglected foreign orphan showing up at their docks is a big step up.

Sam did know one thing, he couldn't let this kid go back. Wherever he was from did not look like they treated him well. The fact that they really didn't have the resources to get him back to wherever he was from helped his case. Any interregion implications required the help of the regional government. A kid showing up randomly in another region definitely qualified.

However, people in a small town like Pallet knew that Kanto was worried more about it's big cities. They were still in a recession, and so all the government's efforts have been directed towards getting big business booming again to jumpstart the economy. They didn't have time for a small town anomoly. As long as Ash didn't show up in any missing persons reports, they should be able to keep him in Pallet. 

The only problem was finding a caretaker for Ash. As much as he wanted to care for the boy himself, he was too old. He could barely keep up with Daisy, Green and Gary when they came over. This boy needed a lot of attention that his job and age wouldn't allow. But...there was someone in town who might be able to give Ash what he needs.


	7. Chapter 7

Delia Sera was a tragic woman. It didn't start that way. She was born out of a sweet love story between a relocated Galarian man and a small town Kantonian woman. As the story goes, Delia's father was tired of life in Kalos because of a broken heart, and had inherited some land in Pallet Town from a beloved aunt. He took it as fate's way of saying he should move on, so he did. He took over tending to the land his aunt left him. The life was nice and easy going compared to the one he had back in Kalos. More time outside in the sun than a dreary office building too, so he stayed. As he took on life in Pallet Town, a nice local woman helped him to adjust because she was close to his aunt. He'd find out later that she wasn't just helping out because of his aunt. There were misunderstandings, fun moments, happy times. The stuff of romance books really, but it happened and resulted in their marriage and the birth of Delia Gagne. 

Delia had a happy childhood and adolescence. She was very popular around town because of how friendly she was. Always at someone's house after school, with friends at the soda shop, or some party. When she turned 18, she married her childhood sweetheart, Jun Sera. He was a great cook, even taught Delia everything she knew. They opened up a diner that was a town favorite. It was all going so well. She was even pregnant at one point. But that all changed very quickly. 

There was going to be a showing of an incredible movie from Kalos that her parents and husband were excited about, being the cinema fanatics they were. Delia was still in her first trimester and very unstable and sick. She didn't want to ruin the excitement for them, especially since she knew how hard they worked day in and day out. It took a lot of effort and days of convincing, but she got her husband and parents to go to Viridian City for the picture show. She stayed home with her mother in law.

She stayed up waiting for them to come home. Instead, she got a phone call. They'd gotten into a traffic accident. The Viridian Officer Jenny took her in and had her identify the bodies. It was horrifying. She couldn't stop shaking as they took her in, and later couldn't stop crying when she recognized them. 

She tried to keep it together enough for the funeral arrangements. She still had a baby to care for in her too, but it was too much for a 22 year old. She'd lost three of the people she loved the most all the in the same night. Leading up to the funeral, she was sleeping less and eating less because of the grief. A few days before the funeral she collapsed. She'd wake up in her room with Dr. Yukiko over her. Her baby was gone. She should've seen it coming.

She cried and cried that night. Mourning the last piece she had of her husband. Her mother in law held her all night. The kind woman took over running the funeral and, afterwards, stayed to take care of Delia. And boy did Delia need the help. She'd been diagnosed with depression stemming from her losses. Delia didn't even want to get out of bed most days let alone eat. Bless that woman for taking everything in stride and even helping with the diner. She even went to great lengths to make sure Delia would be provided for now that her son was gone by hiring help, and making sure it could run without Delia. That helped Delia tremendously in the long run and she was ever greatful.

She treated Delia kindly, always there to comfort her when she needed it. It was her mother in law that convinced Delia to eat, to get up, to live. After seeing that there was still someone who loved her in this world, someone who would care for her in her times of weakness, Delia felt...hope. She'd try to get out of bed more often, even if she'd fail some days. She'd go outside more even if it was to just go sit in her diner. The diner that was both hers and her husband's. 

That was when things started getting better. At her slow, but steady pace, she built herself back up again. Some of her friends were respectful of her loss, there to comfort her like her mother in law was. Others were indelicate, even wondering why she was still hung up on the accident. They made Delia upset, but deep down she knew it was because they were young and hadn't gone through loss like she had. They couldn't understand what she was going through. It made her more understanding, but not forgiving. Her friend group shrunk astoundingly, but the ones she kept were the good ones. The ones who didn't ask questions if they caught her crying. The ones who didn't mind staying in with her when it was nice out. The ones who were okay that the new Delia wasn't as happy and friendly as she used to be. Eventually, she was well enough to go to her diner everyday. She'd convinced herself that this was her husband's mark on the world, and so she should be doing more to take care of it. To make sure their personal touch would remain, even though it was much bigger than when she'd started out thanks to her mother in law's efforts. It was her way of making sure his memory lived on.

Life went at a much slower pace after that. The only turbulent time after came when her mother in law hurt herself climbing up the latter in the diner pantry to get an ingredient. Her hip bone was broken and it was difficult for her to walk. As much as Delia wished she could take care of the woman like she had during Delia's time of need, Delia just wasn't in the right head space to be taking care of another person. So, 2 years after the loss of her husband and parents, she had to say goodbye to another loved one. Her mother in law was taken by her own daughter who lived in Celadon City. The girl had gotten an education, worked a good job and married a kind man. They had more appropriate resources to cater to the woman. At least, that's what Delia tried to convince herself of as she waved goodbye. Over the years, Delia would leave town and visit her mother in law, but it was a difficult to go since Celadon was so far. She'd be lonely at times, but her friends, Professor Oak, and even Dr. Yukiko were there to comfort her. Six years had gone by since her mother in law left her. Delia still wasn't how she used to be, but she was going on with life. She'd relapse and have days when she wouldn't get out of bed or go outside on her days off. Even so, at 29 she was stronger than at 22. Unfortunately, the lonliness lingered despite her friends.

When Professor Oak called her up about a boy who needed a home, Delia was extremely interested. If her baby had made it, they would've been around the boy's age too. Her father took an inheritance as a sign to move on, maybe this boy looking for a home was her sign.


	8. Chapter 8

Sam wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do, but he needed to take a risk. Poor Delia hadn't been the same since the accident. She used to be so full of joy, but who could blame her for the change. Anyone would have been shook up after losses like hers. He himself was for a while when his wife had passed. But Sam had family and people to rely on. She did not anymore. He knew more than anything that Delia was lonely. Delia was the first person he called to ask if she would consider taking in the boy. Apparently, his shot in the dark hit its mark. Delia came over later that day.

When Delia saw the boy, he wasn't what she expected. Delia had always wanted kids since she was young. After she lost her baby, her eyes would wander to children around her that would be her child's age if it lived. Would her child be so friendly or the shy type? She would lose herself in the wonder of how her child would interact with the people and world around them as the children in front of her did. However, Delia knew parenting wasn't all romantic. Along with the joy that children naturally exuded, she saw the tantrums, the uncontrollable energy, and the inquisitive eyes that could get them in a lot of trouble. The child before her was very different. He was calm, quiet and his eyes seemed knowing even.

Professor Oak and Dr. Yukiko informed her of the child's situation while Oak's Arcanine kept the boy company. Ash seemed to be an orphan who is malnourished and in need of a guardian. Delia kept an eye on the child as she conversed with the other adults. Outside of going to Celadon to visit her mother in law, Delia had never left Pallet Town. The boy's looks were like nothing she's seen before. Dark, untamable hair, rich dark skin, and gorgeous red eyes. The only way she could describe the boy was exotic. However, in her observations she did take stock of his worrying aspects, like how frail he looked and the scars on his cheeks. Whatever this child had gone through before coming here could not have been good. It made her wonder if she was qualified to care for Ash, but at the same time she felt selfish. She wanted to raise a child instead of just watching others around her do so. Delia accepted the task of looking after Ash Ketchum.

Ash was 7 years old when he met Delia Sera. She was kind, like the doctor and professor. Something Ash was still getting used to. He hadn't been a recipient of kindness since Kiara and Griffin went missing. Ash thought his luck was finally taking a turn. That he could be away from Gray and lead a happy life in Pallet. He was going to make the most of whatever all this was.

He went to Delia's home later that day and started his life with her. after learning her name, Ash started calling her Miss Delia right off the bat. Kiara had always taught him to be respectful. She seemed okay with the development, so he kept calling her that. Miss Delia was a great cook. Apparently, she ran her own diner in this town. Ash could definitely see that it was well deserved. When he told Miss Delia what he thought, she smiled for the first time since they'd met. It was wonderful and made Ash feel great, like this was his new purpose in life. But soon, Ash noticed something.

Ash could tell there was something off with the woman. She didn't mistreat Ash or anything. She seemed...sad. Everyday would pass in each other's quiet company. Miss Delia had a lot of indoor hobbies. Some crafts like knitting and whittling which Ash found interesting. His favorite was when she'd experiment in the kitchen. It was fun, he'd help and they'd end up with something delicious to eat because Miss Delia was a food genius, as Ash would call her. They wouldn't go out much other to the grocery store. People would stare at them when they went out, so Ash was fine with not leaving the home much. They still had Miss Delia's backyard. In fact, that's how they first started opening up to each other.

He woke up after his first night in Miss Delia's house to find her outside working the soil, and he asked to help. She walked him through the process and answered his questions. What seeds are these? How long will they take to grow? Do you think it'll be tasty when it's here? She'd smile and answer each one. Her eyes would be warm and as focused as he's ever seen them. It was nice to see her a little happier, even if it didn't last long. Ash felt obligated to take care of Miss Delia. Something he'd never been able to do for Kiara. Ash saw pictures on the walls of people on the living room walls he'd never seen in the home. Maybe they were why Miss Delia were so sad. Ash could understand that. He used to have a picture of his Mama. She was really pretty, but he'd get sad looking at it because she was gone. Maybe those people were gone like his mama, and that's why Miss Delia was sad. He'd never ask to confirm though. 

And then came the first day that Miss Delia didn't get out of bed in the morning. It came at least 2 weeks into his stay with Miss Delia. He woke up and there was no smell of breakfast cooking. Ash looked around for Miss Delia, and eventually found her in her bedroom. It was worrisome to find her like that, but Ash understood. Kiara would have moments like that. She'd send him away to play when they happened, so that's what Ash did this time around. He made sure to inform Miss Delia that he'd be outside and that he hoped she felt better. Even though she didn't respond, he felt better announcing it.

In the time he'd been in Pallet, he hadn't left Miss Delia's side much. From what he could tell, Pallet was a tight knit, safe community and children would wander around free. He'd seen some of the kids who would watch Miss Delia's home after he moved in. They might have wanted to play with him, but Ash didn't want to leave Miss Delia's side. Even now, he wasn't sure if he was ready to play with those kids. What if they only spoke Kantonian? Miss Delia and he talked in Galarian and hadn't started his lessons yet. He figured the only place he could go was to that Professor guy's house. Maybe he could teach him more about Pokemon.

The day he left with Miss Delia, Professor Oak had given him an open invitation to drop by the lab whenever he wanted. He had just reach the entrance to the lab lands when he was smothered by something warm and fuzzy.

"Arcanine! --------!"

That was how he'd met Gary Oak. Other than the big dog's species being called out, Ash had no idea what the boy was saying. The other boy was a head taller than him and stared at him strangely before talking in Kantonian again. Ash just patted the big dog and went back to finding the professor. The kid followed him and kept shouting things.

Who did this kid think he was? Gary was used to everyone paying attention to him and wanting to be his friend since his grandpa was so famous. That kid just said nothing and walked away from him. Like how Red does whenever Green tries to get a rise out of him. Even though Gary thinks his big brother Green is awesome, even he thought Green looked a little silly arguing with someone who doesn't respond. Yet, that's what he's doing right now.

"Hello Ash, it's nice to see you again! You look healthier than I last saw."

"Nice to see you too sir. Miss Delia's been taking good care of me."

Wait a second. That was Galarian. Gary's parents had taught him the language since he was young because they would have friends from other regions come over a lot. Most of them spoke Galarian. He'd heard that the boy, Ash?, was not from around here. He definitely didn't look Kantonian, so it was probably wrong to have tried talking to him Kantonian. Still didn't mean he couldn't have tried talking to Gary, and that's what pissed him off.

"Hey loser! Who do you think you are walking away from me like that?"

"Gary! Mind your manners. Are you hungry Ash? I just fixed up breakfast and there's plenty go around."

"Yes, please."

"So well mannered, you could learn a thing or two from Ash, Gary."

Gary was seething at this point. First the kid didn't talk to him and now he had his Gramps eating out of the palm of his hand. During breakfast, Gary had more of a chance to size Ash up. The other kid was small and skinny. Gramps had said that he was a year younger than him, but even when Gary had been 7 he wasn't that small. Neither were Leaf or Fire who were 6 months younger than him. Guess he's a runt. He looked really weird though. No one has crazy black hair like his, his skin was the darkest Gary had seen aside from that one researcher from Alola, and Gary didn't even think it was possible to have red eyes yet here it was in front of him. They were kinda cool, but he wasn't about to tell the boy that.

"So creepy eyes, you gonna say something. You haven't said nothing to me since you got here."

"Gary Oak! What have I told you-"

"Sorry, I was just hungry."

Mew, this kid was blunt. But, at least he's honest.

"It's cool! Gramps makes the best food, so eat up! We can go play."

Things were better after that. He showed Ash around the ranch and told him all about Pokemon. Gary couldn't believe Ash didn't know anything about Pokemon and figured it was his duty as the grandson of the best Pokemon Professor in the world to teach him. He even told him about Pokemon training and how he wanted to be a great trainer like his big brother Green who'd left for his journey just a few months ago. Ash was a really good listener. He thought it was cool that Green was trainer too. Maybe Ash wasn't so bad after all.

The morning passed by fast playing tag, hide and seek, and looking at Pokemon. Ash left after lunch because he wanted to get back to Mrs. Sera, but Gramps gave him lots of food to take back home. Gary wouldn't mind playing with Ash again. He's super fast, good at hiding, and loves listening Gary go on and on about Pokemon. Gary definitely couldn't wait to see Ash again.

Ash had a nice day. Gary seemed nice enough, even though he thought his eyes were creepy. He wanted to learn more about Pokemon, and Gary didn't mind telling him about Pokemon so that made him nice. He even got great food out of it. And the Professor even gave him food to take home to Miss Delia. Ash definitely loved visiting the lab.

When Ash got home, Miss Delia was still in bed. It looked like she hadn't gotten out all day. Kiara did this from time to time too, but only on her really bad days. Guess it was time to break out the big guns.

Ash walked over to the night stand by Miss Delia's head to put down the food. The blanket was over her face so he didn't know if she was awake. Then he walked around the bed to the other and empty side, climbed up, and laid down next to her. 

"Miss Delia, I know you're not feeling well. I brought you some yummy food from Professor Oak's. You should really eat something. To keep up your strength. I know we don't know each other well, but it has to do with those people on the wall, doesn't it. It's alright you don't have to tell me anything. I'm here though. I'll stay as long as you need me." 

She didn't stir at all when Ash spoke. There was no response, but Ash just stayed and watched over Miss Delia. Kiara was much more physical when he talked to her on her days like these. She liked to hold him in her arms and hug him close as they slept next to each other. Sometimes they'd talk quietly, usually about Griffin. But she always seemed a bit more happier. Guess the same wasn't true for Miss Delia. Eventually, the warm sunlight creeping in lulled him to sleep.

Delia was disappointed in herself. She woke up that morning and was having one of her days. The ones she had after she dreamed of her parents and husband and sending them off to the picture show that night. She'd wake up feeling so helpless and irrationally guilty for sending them off. She'd be took caught up in her head and depressed to get out of bed those days. But when Ash came into her life, she promised to herself she wouldn't let days get away from her anymore. 

Ash was a heavensent if she were being honest. The boy was so sweet and easy to take care of. He made her smile too. If Jun were still here, they would've been the happiest family. She knew this boy would make motherhood easy for her. She just wasn't transitioning well. Today was an example of that. 

Ash's needs come first, yet she just couldn't bring herself to get up that morning. He even left with an empty stomach. Somehow, the boy just knew she needed to be alone then. Pallet is a good community and Ash was obedient. He'd stay away from the forests and probably play outside with the children a bit.

That was another thing she was disappointed in herself about. They were the children of the friends she'd let go because they couldn't handle who she was now. Looking at them made Delia feel sad because they reminded her of simpler times. When she had no care in the world and got along with everyone. When she was happy. And this child, who barely knew her, wouldn't go out to play with them. He stays by her side and learns to knit or experiment with recipes in the kitchen. It was like he knew she was lonely. A 7 year old was comforting her, a full grown woman. And she let him.

And that's what just happened right now too. While he'd been gone, she'd been stuck in her head remembering the good times before and how lonely she'd been the past few years. When he came back with food, it made her feel better to know the boy had at least eaten something today. And then when he talked to her, this kid really is too mature for his age. She stayed under the sheets because she was embarrassed about how childish and selfish she'd been acting. Better late than never to get up. When she finally did get up and looked over to the boy next to her, she saw he was sleeping. But something was wrong, he didn't look at peace, his face was warped and he looked like he was having a nightmare.

"Ash! Ash honey please wake up!"

He jolted awake and was breathing hard. She carefully took him in her arms and held him close. This was the first hug they shared since he got here. It felt wonderful and just that much better when he put his tiny arms around her sides and returned the affection. Delia couldn't help thinking that maybe things were going to get better. Maybe not as quick or easily as she'd want, but eventually they would. And she finally had someone in her life to love her again.

"Can you eat now? You really need to keep up your strength."

And she had a little worrywart protector too.


	9. Chapter 9

Gary really liked Ash. In fact, Ash was now his best friend. They had a rocky start, but then he got to know Ash more and thought he was cool. He was awesome at games and was super into Pokemon like Gary was. If they weren't outside playing with each other or Pokemon watching, they'd be indoors watching some of Gary's taped league videos. If Ash's interested look was anything to go off of, Gary figured they may be rivals one day. Like Green and Red! Even though Green and Red didn't seem to get along much, Gary knew they were good friends. Why else would they look like they were having the time of their lives whenever they battled each other or play fought. Green even told him once that each battle with Red made him become a better trainer. Green also had Leaf and Fire's big sister Blue as a rival, but it was less tense since Blue cared more about learning about Pokemon. Green still learned lots from Blue even though they didn't fight as much. Gary wouldn't mind having that with Ash, Fire and Leaf one day. They seemed to be his only options.

You see, the thing about Pallet Town was that people rarely left. It was a nice town for nice people to live out their days, so why would they leave. Even though people thought Pokemon journeys were awesome and loved the books and movies made on them, few people actually went on them. It wasn't a sustainable lifestyle and very few made it in the industry. Most would rather stay at home and build a life. Some people from Pallet would go on mini journeys as far as Viridian or Cerulean just to see what the big cities were like, but they weren't fans of the hustle and bustle and not knowing anyone, so they'd come home. Winning against the gym leaders was no cake walk either. You had to put in the effort with your Pokemon to get the badge, but not everyone was cut out for battling. But Gary just knew he, Ash, Fire and Leaf would make it just like Green, Red, and Blue. The only thing that Gary didn't like when it came to Ash was how little they'd hang out.

Ash didn't leave Mrs. Sera's home much. He'd only come over when Mrs. Sera was working the diner, Pallet House, and that wasn't often. Pallet House was the best place to eat in town because Mrs. Sera would regularly update the menu with new, delicious recipes. She would take time away from the diner a lot to develop her cooking, and Ash wouldn't leave the house when Mrs. Sera was home. Gary was a little upset about that at first. The other kids in Pallet just weren't as fun as Ash. He was always full of energy and raring to go. He had really fun ideas too, like covering themselves up in mud and leaves so they could take a closer look at the grass Pokemon without spooking them. Gramps and Mrs. Sera weren't very happy with them, but they got to pet some of the Bulbasaur and Oddish that day so Gary didn't care that they were scolded. If Leaf wasn't in Pewter to visit her Uncle's family, she would have loved it. Even though Fire preferred Fire types, there was no way he wouldn't have liked it since they get so few chances to touch Pokemon. Ash, though, felt really bad, and almost looked scared, and promised Mrs. Sera he wouldn't do it again. And then Mrs. Sera got really quiet and hugged him and told him it was okay.

Gary thought that was really weird. His mom yelled at him for doing things all the time. It wasn't that serious. But for Ash and Mrs. Sera it was. He knew that Mrs. Sera wasn't Ash's mom. He called her Miss Delia after all. He tried to ask Ash more about it, but all Ash said was that Miss Delia was taking care of him now. Ash was really weird about questions Gary would ask. Where did you come from? What happened to your family? How come you have scars? He was really vague about where he came from and said he lost his family. He got really quiet when Gary asked about the scars, though. When Ash responded, Gary wished he hadn't asked. Ash said someone hurt him on purpose. Ash had an empty look on his face remembering whatever happened too, it was really scary. Gary stopped asking about the scars or anything from before he got to Pallet. He didn't wanna make Ash upset again, or see that look again. 

Ash said no one's gonna hurt him again and that he was gonna take care of Mrs. Sera. Gary figured that was nice. Mrs. Sera was nice, but always sad. She seemed happier since Ash got here. Just more reason to like Ash. Sometimes he'd go over to Mrs. Sera's house to play with Ash if he didn't come over to the lab by lunch. It was fun over there too. He loved helping in the garden and kitchen and the food was always great. Gary's only family in Pallet was just Gramps right now. Mom and Dad were at some sort of dig for ancient Pokemon, Green was on his journey, and Daisy was competing in Pokemon contests in Hoenn. He was kinda lonely with just Gramps, so hanging out with Ash and Mrs. Sera was a nice change of pace.

He didn't expect getting into fights because of it. Before Ash came to Pallet, Gary got along fine with the other kids. They thought he was cool because his Grandpa was a famous Professor who'd come on T.V. Gary didn't want friends just because of his Gamps. And they didn't care that much about Pokemon and were too young to understand his research. Only Leaf and Fire really like him because he liked Pokemon as much as they did and wanted to go on a Pokemon journey. They were his only real friends. But the others still were nice enough, even though they didn't care about learning more about Pokemon. They'd rather play baseball or watch cartoons. His parents taught him his interests weren't everyone's interests, and to treat them nice even so, and that's what he would do. Even though they were boring.

So when Ken Saito came up to him after he was walking back to the lab from playing with Ash at Mrs. Sera's, and he called a dirty little demon child, Gary got mad. Who was he to say things like that about Ash, especially since he didn't know him. He shoved Ken and ran back home. He told his Gramps about what happened, and he didn't look too happy.

They talked about a lot of things that night. How people didn't like Mrs. Sera much because she was sad to be around since her husband and parents passed away. How Ash looked different than a Kantonian and people were usually afraid of different. How people talked about them badly because they were the two black mareep of the town. 

Gary didn't get it. He would be sad too if his parents passed away. People shouldn't be mean to Mrs. Sera just cause of that. They should even be nicer to her since she's sad. And who cares if Ash looks different? He thought Ash looked strange, but not in a bad way. It doesn't mean we have to be afraid of him. Ash is one of the nicest people he knows, and they've only known each other for a month. Ash likes to make Mrs. Sera laugh when she looks sad and is the best playmate he's ever had, aside from Leaf and Fire. When he told Gramps what he thought, Gramps smiled, he even looked proud of him.

"You're gonna be a great man someday. I hope this old town turns out more people like you."

Sam really meant it too. The few things that he hated about Pallet Town were the narrow mindedness and gossip. Sam supposed he should be more understanding. He had also grown up in Pallet Town with those kinds of beliefs. It was only through his studies and research that he was allowed to go see the world and meet people different from him. Even he had difficulty when he'd met Rowan from Sinnoh and Koa from Alola. They'd led such different lives from him, especially Koa. It took a while, but he actually accepted the Sinnohian beliefs easily. It might have been because Sinnohians looked, acted, and had beliefs similar to Galarians, who had done a degree of mixing and assimilating with Kantonians during their short rule of the region, so their way of doing things was easier to grasp. He wasn't proud of how skeptical he'd been of the the native Alolans and their beliefs just because they'd looked and acted so different while his cousin Samson had taken to them like a Shellder to a Slowpoke. Samson had a much more open minded raising than his own. It was a folly of youth and naievity, but he'd grown from it, made incredible friends like Hala and learned what a rich tapestry of cultures, ideas and diversity humanity can produce. It even gave him inspiration for a subsection of research on relationships between Pokemon and humans influenced by culture. He, of course, never got to pursue it because he and his wife had Gary's father soon after Alola, and he didn't want to leave his family much after. But what he learned in Alola enriched his understanding of different people.

It was a shame that his beloved hometown never got the chance to grow like he did. One of the setbacks of living in such a small community where everyone knew each other was that if a person even diverted a little from the norm they'd become pariahs and the subject of town gossip. Sam had experienced his own fair share when he'd shoved off tending to the land like his father and pursued higher education past middle school. His poor wife had gone through the same treatment when he was away finishing his doctoral research, taunting her with ideas that her husband was probably off sowing some wild oats with foreign women. But that was just a byproduct of being such a tightknit community. Since everyone in town treated one another like family, in their eyes by nitpicking they were ensuring the young will grow into responsible and successful adults. 

The only way they could help was by using what they knew, ergo anything different was met with a lot of pushback and criticism. With the support of his wife, he had stuck to their guns and made a name for himself as a researcher. He'd proved to his little town that different wasn't bad and paved the way for more children to attain education beyond middle school and especially for others like Aspen to do more than tend the land. He'd introduced Pallet Town to the possibilities of living out their lives different than the ones before them.

Right now, it was Delia's turn to prove them wrong. The unfortunate woman had to put up with so much. She only thought it was her friends who thought badly of her because of her growth from heartbreak, but Sam knew the truth. The elders of the town were disappointed with Delia. She was too young to be not only a widow, but so jaded. Really, this town could be so cruel to think she be should moving on and living a life like a young lady should after all that had happened. He had been proud of Delia for not giving in and living out the life she wanted despite her depression. Delia had barely been phased by someone like Ash, who was nothing like they'd seen before. 

He supposed that all Delia saw was a child, like the one she lost, while the rest of the town saw a wild card they didn't know what was capable of or what to do with. It was unfortunate that instead of seeing the wonder in the uncertain, they saw corruption and felt fear. How would this child affect their flock? Even though Oak knew what a good little boy Ash was, how good he and Delia had been for one another, and tried to convince the others that they were fine members of their community, all the town's folk saw were outliers. Unlike Sam, who had the option of giving up and going back to the mundane Pallet farm life, Delia and Ash didn't have an escape route. They didn't have the means to deny themselves in order to fit in. Only time would tell how all this would work out. He doesn't have much faith in the people of Pallet, but he did have faith in Ash and Delia.


	10. Chapter 10

Ash loved life in Pallet. Back in Gray, he lived in an abandoned factory with Kiara for a bit before she'd left. It may not have been much to other people, but to them and a few others, it was their cozy little home. When she disappeared after Griff, the other tenants helped take care of him as much as they could. They had little to spare themselves. Along with what they could give him, he used what Griff taught him about pickpocketing and where the best food scraps could be found to help him survive. But a five year old could only make it so long on his own on Gray's streets. He had an easier time hiding, but sightings of a lone five year old prowling around were very suspicious. Child Protective Services caught up to him eventually. He really thought their name was funny considering he was better off in the streets than in most of the orphanages and foster homes. At least he survived, just like he'd promised Griff and Kia. 

That didn't matter now. He was safe, in a nice home with a kind woman as a caretaker. Miss Delia was looking happier these days, and that made Ash really glad. It had only been about 4 months since Ash got to Pallet. When they weren't cooking or gardening, Miss Delia would be teaching him.

He'd been slowly learning Kantonian. It had been a slow start since he didn't know how to read, even in Galarian. He felt comfortable enough with Miss Delia to let her know he'd never been to school and that he only recognized a few Galarian words. Miss Delia, bless her soul, had been very understanding. She didn't ask questions either. Just took it as a cue to rework their lessons. Now they were working on both the Galarian alphabet and the Kantonian alphabet. He'd been doing better with the Galarian material than the Kantonian material since the characters were more familiar and he already knew words with their sounds. Even so, they had a lot of work to do on his recognition of the Galarian character sounds on paper for reading and writing purposes. They were quite a while away from spelling. He was putting in a lot of effort with the Kantonian letters, but it was really hard. Miss Delia was kind to him about it because she knew he really was trying his best. That just made Ash want to work harder.

Since Ash was so behind in Kantonian, he couldn't attend school with the rest of the children. Ash wasn't too upset about that to be honest. He didn't understand what the kids were saying, but something told him they weren't nice things. Gary would look angry whenever a random kid would stop them on their way to the lab, and look at Ash to say something. Gary would yell something back and pull him away. Ash never asked what the other kids were saying. He didn't wanna spend time they could be playing on something like that. 

He still only came out to play when Miss Delia worked the diner. Ash didn't accompany her there because he didn't want to distract her from her work. The only time he'd gone with her to her job did not go great. People stared at him, in the eating area and kitchen, and Miss Delia seemed on edge. He'd worked out with her after that he'd just go to the lab when she had to work. Professor Oak didn't mind since Ash was a well behaved boy, but Miss Delia did seem a bit regretful when they'd worked out the deal. Like she wished it didn't have to be this way. Ash felt like he was just another reason why she didn't go to physically work at her diner often. That being said, there were a few days where she had no choice but to go, like to train her staff on the new recipes or to deal with unexpected inconveniences like a busted fryer. 

On those days he'd go to the lab. Since the school year had started, he wouldn't see Gary till 3:00 in the afternoon when it let out. Until then he'd spend his time with the Professor. Even though Ash had been wary of him at first, he'd come to understand how sweet the old man was. He'd follow the Professor on his rounds of the lab grounds and watch him take notes. They'd mostly talk about Pokemon, sometimes about how he and Miss Delia were doing, but it always came back to Pokemon. The Professor would tell him what each one was called, what their type was, and what moves they could use. He'd been learning more about battling lately. He thought Pokemon moves were awesome, but the battles seemed a bit brutal. 

Back in Gray, he and an older boy Marcus would sneak into watch the underground fights. Marcus was a fan, but Ash just thought it was scary to see two full grown men fighting so viciously. There would be so much blood and they looked like they were in a lot of pain, but they just kept going. Marcus said it was because the winner got a huge pay out. That helped put it in perspective. Kia and Griff would always talk about what they could do for money. Ash figured this was just one of the things adults could do for it. Didn't mean he thought it was okay. 

He asked Gary about it once the first time he'd seen a league tape. Don't the Pokemon feel pain? Isn't it cruel to let them tear into each other and even egg then on? Gary laughed it off. He said that fighting was part of a Pokemon's nature. They needed to fight and indulge their instincts to grow and to survive. They also had incredible recovery capabilities, so a little tussle and banging up didn't mean much in the bigger picture. When he saw that Ash was still uncertain, he took Ash to a window looking out to the ranch. He saw a big yellow bee, A Beedrill, fighting a purple frog, a Poliwhirl. They moved so gracefully and with such determination. There moves were so powerful. Seeing one go down, the Poliwhirl,was heart stopping, but then it would get up and act like nothing happened. In fact, it seemed like the two Pokemon knew each other because they seemed to be getting along just fine.

"See that! Those two have the same trainer. They spar all the time to get better and faster. If one gets knocked out, it's no big deal. And if it does get serious we have medicine and a recovery machine, like the ones trainers on the road use at Pokecenters. Those places have Nurses to tend to the particularly bad cases too, and they're really well trained. It's all safe!"

Ash felt more at ease about battles after that. Some people may be able to fight and take a beating well, but Pokemon seem indestructible. Just more reason to admire them.

Professor Oak would talk him through some of the battles they'd see while observing the Pokemon. The man would sprinkle in some basic Kantonian words and phrases to help Ash get used to the language. Ash really appreciated the help and the patience the Professor would show when he'd ask him about a word or phrase they'd gone over a few times already. He'd explain why a move worked particularly well because of type advantage or why a Pokemon had more power because of its level of experience. He'd even tell Ash about some of his adventures while on his Pokemon journey. 

That was another thing Ash would ask about. A Pokemon journey seemed really strange to Ash. How is giving a kid an animal with superpowers and sending them on their way a good idea? What was the purpose of it all?

But Professor Oak's response to his question made him wonder. Apparently it was a tradition that a lot of regions practiced. The only thing close to a tradition like this back in Gray was Recruitment.

In Gray, gangs would recruit young children. They take in young, unknowing kids that had nowhere to go, and tell them they were their family. They'd tell them they needed to earn their keep, so they'd give them guns and train them. Most were drug mules and pushers. Some would get picked to be groomed by the higher ups to be bodyguards for the leader or taught to be an informant. If they made it to being fully trained, they'd be marked to show allegiance. Griff made sure he and Kia stayed out of that mess.

Even though it was a way to earn money and get better food and clothes, the risks were too high. He remembered wandering around a lot while Kia looked through the nearby donation box for new clothes when they heard the shots being fired. Kia grabbed him and brought him back to the big, metal box to hide behind. When the sounds ended there was some yelling. After it had finally gone quiet, Ash had peeked around the box and saw a boy, not much taller than Griff, laying on the ground in a dirtied gray sweater stained red. There was a small pool of blood leaking out from under him. He didn't move once. They waited a tense few minutes in silence, listening for more shots and shouts before Kia picked him up and bolted back home. Later that night he'd overhear Kia and Griff talking about it. Some sort of turf war was going and they'd just seen a small piece of it. It was enough to make sure Ash never got near a gang or gun ever again. 

Then again, Orre was one of the few regions that didn't have pokemon. Maybe that's why their traditions were different. 

According to what the Professor was saying, this journey stuff was about giving young children some responsibility and time to think about what direction they'd like to go in as they approached adulthood. Only those that passed the trainer verification test were allowed to participate, some didn't even pass the first time around. Only those that could really handle the responsibility were allowed to go. Instead of being forced into it or coerced, it was an option. That made Ash feel a little better. Professor Oak asked him if he's considering going on a Pokemon journey. At the time, Ash had responded no. He needed to stay and take care of Miss Delia. That made Professor Oak smile.

"That's well and good son, but I think you should really consider it. Some journeys are long, others short, but nevertheless you come back a changed person, ready to take on whatever life has to throw at you."

Ash looked pensive at what the man had told him. After a few moments of silence, he responded with a simple, "Maybe."


	11. Chapter 11

Ash really liked playing with Gary. Ash had at least one friend at time around his age back home, like Marcus, Zhang Yong, Talia. They cycled in and out of his life and taught him lots of different things. Marcus taught him how to pick locks, Zhang Yong taught him a couple of fighting moves, and Talia taught him how to survive in a different way than Griff and Kia did. Much more quietly through... gestures and behaviors and how to bide your time. It was grueling and he almost thought the wasn't going to make it, but he did. Now he had Gary, but it was different though. They actually played together. They'd play catch, go down to the creek to swim, and even to the park to play on the swings. Ash loved every second of it. Instead of running, hiding, and helping one another survive, they actually got to play together like the kids he'd see on some of the billboards around Gray City. It was great!

Actually, Gary wasn't all that different from his other friends. Gary taught him things too. He taught Ash not only about Pokemon, he also taught him about how a trainer can make some serious cash on a journey. Ash still wasn't all that interested in leaving Miss Delia, but he never told Gary because he'd get so excited about his future journey and go on tangents. Maybe, if Miss Delia or he needed, he'd go on one of these journeys for a quick buck. 

It had been seven months since he got to Pallet. He had filled out a lot more since getting here and his relationship with Miss Delia was great. Just this morning, he had snuck into her to jump on her bed and surprise her awake.

"Oh Ash, what am I going to do with you?!"

Kisses and cuddles were commonplace now. He trusted Miss Delia lots, and when Kiara was around he had loved being held by her. It made him feel so safe and warm. Miss Delia had pinched his cheeks and pulled on them causing him to groan out of exasperation.

"Mws Dweliaaaa!"

"I'm sorry dear, you finally look have some meat on your bones. I probably couldn't have done this a few months ago."

And she was right. Thanks to Miss Delia's nutritious meals he was finally covering up his malnourished beginnings. He was still tiny and too thin for his age, but it was something. They'd been making headway in his lessons too! He knew all the Galarian Alphabet now and their sounds. He could read simple books, the ones that were for kindergarteners really, but Ash had never been able to read before, so he thought it was awesome.Gary made fun of him for reading baby books though, but Professor Oak scolded him. He told Ash that he was very proud of how far Ash had come and Ash should be proud of himself too. After all, he's only bound to get better. That made Ash feel better even though Gary kinda made him feel stupid. 

After all, he still wasn't doing that well with his writing. Spelling was hard. Ash was thankful his first name was short and easy, but his last name just had to be seven letters long and hard. He'd seen Kia write his name out a few times, so when Miss Delia had shown him a few versions of his name written out he was able recognize it. Apparently, his name had a silent "T." He thought silent letters were dumb. What's the point of it being in a word if it doesn't make a sound? Miss Delia thought his complaint was funny. She told him those are the rules that everyone goes by, and to make it easier for everyone he should follow them. Ash thought that was a bogus answer, but he obeyed. Guess you can't change the rules.

His Kantonian was doing better, but far from perfect. Sure he'd learned a few essential phrases like 'where's the bathroom' and 'more please' for eating, but that was it. He knew the characters, and their sounds now, and was even reading Kantonian books for 3 year olds, but speaking was a nightmare. It was strange that he had an easier time understanding what other people were saying, if they spoke slow, but couldn't respond well himself. Ms. Delia said word recall can be hard, and ain't that the truth.

It was better than when Gary had introduced him to his friends Fire and Leaf Yukiko, the kids of the nice doctor who gave him check ups and icky medicine. They had been away from Pallet for summer vacation visiting their cousins in Pewter City. They got back in September, three months after Ash arrived in Pallet, for the start of the school year. Fire and Leaf didn't know Galarian like Gary, so he tried using what little Kantonian he knew by that point to at least say hi and his name. He accomplish half his mission. He'd been able to say hi, but he asked them if their name is Ash Ketchum. They laughed! It was so embarrassing. His dark skin helped conceal most of his blush. Conjugating tenses could be harder than spelling. They said a few things in Kantonian that Ash didn't catch, but then Gary started translating for them. It may have been a really inconvenient way to converse, but it actually helped Ash with his learning. He could hear the Kantonian sentence from them and hear the Galarian translation from Gary. It was why he was better at understanding Kantonian now.

Ash thought Fire and Leaf were nice enough, but it was too difficult to talk to them without Gary's help. He still ended up spending more of his time with Gary. But there were still things they could do without having to talk. Like play tag, hide and seek at the lab, and watch more of Gary's tapes. Miss Delia was at the diner again and it was too chilly out to play. It was December after all. Pallet Town was due for it's first snow of the season any day now. He used to hate winters back in Gray because the factory would get super cold. Griff had to start a barrel fire near their matress on the third floor of the factory and keep watch over it one night because Kia got really sick. 

Man were things different now. He had his own bedroom now that had a clean matress, warm blankets, and the fluffiest pillow ever! Miss Delia knit him a cozy blue sweater, a nice red hat with matching scarf and green gloves and gave him this awesome blue jacket. It was weird not having clothes without too many holes in them or didn't bring smell strange at first, but he got used to it pretty quickly.

And the hot cocoa was the stuff of dreams. The first time he had it was a month ago at the lab, and it was now his favorite drink. He was currently at the lab in the living room of the home. Gary was gonna put on another one of his league tapes. He was sure they had watched them all by now. Ash didn't mind, he liked watching the tapes with Gary. He'd come around to Pokemon battling after learning more about it. The Professor's input was what put him over the edge because the guy, like, dedicated his life to learning about Pokemon. Kiara raised him on the belief that violence is bad, but Kiara didn't know anything about Pokemon. For them, fighting can be a good thing and help make them stronger.

"You ready for this one! It's my absolute favorite. It's when Green became Kanto Champion."

Over the past few months, Gary never let up on mentioning his brother Green when talking about battling. It was pretty obvious that his brother was his idol. Ash thought it was pretty impressive that a 14 year old had done so much. Green wasn't only a former champion, beat out by another kid from Pallet named Red, he also ran his own Gym in Viridian. The most successful kid back in Gray that he knew of was Marcus, who figured out how to deal in Silver City without getting caught by the cops.

The video that they were watching was really intense. Right now a Venasaur was fighting a Machoke and neither were letting up.

"That's Green's starter. I remember meeting her as a Bulbasaur. She has a very sweet nature. I can't believe how big and strong she's gotten. It's definitely because Green raised her well. I'm gonna do the same when I get my starter."

There goes Gary again. Going on and on about his brother. Ash could actually relate. He used to go on and on about Griff to Kia. And on and on about Kia to Griff. He knew they weren't his parents, they were way too young, or even related to him. His earliest solid memories were of them though. Curled up together. Even if they weren't related they were definitely a family. 

"This is my favorite part!"

Venasaur had finally charged up Solarbeam and unleashed it on Machoke. This was the final battle of the match, and definitely the most suspenseful one since they were both down to their last Pokemon. When the smoke cleared, Machoke was out cold and Green had won. The rest of the video showed him being crowned champion and being added to the Hall of Fame.

"I'm gonna do that one day too! Even if now that means I have to beat Red. Let's finish up today by watching Green and Red fight."

This one was actually one of Ash's favorites. Green was a great battler, but so was Red.

From what he had been told, Red Akai was a quiet boy who was a very talented trainer. Gary said the 14 year old was basically a prodigy. Despite being so young, he was actually a big name in the industry. After winning at only 11 years old, he did a lot of interviews on radio shows and talk shows. Red was on posters, commercials, even cereal sponsored by the Kantonian Pokemon League. He basically became Kanto's idol, but it just wasn't something Red's personality could handle. Red liked his space and when they asked him to act in a movie based on his travels, he drew a line. He decided to stop the whole media circus around him by retreating to Mt. Silver and announcing that any challenger that beat the Elite Four could come there to fight for his title.

At least, that's what Ash understood of the situation as it was explained by Mrs. Akai, Red's mother. Mrs. Akai was a very good friend of Miss Delia's from way before Ash arrived in Pallet Town. She came over a few times after Ash had first settled into life with Miss Delia. She had a 4 year old son Chase who would come over too. Ash and Chase couldn't talk to each other because of the language barrier, but they could eat Miss Delia's awesome treats and play catch. Games were Ash's default to making friends without speaking Kantonian. Secretly, he loved being able to play such games so leisurely, and not having to worry about safety or his next meal.

Since the holidays were quickly approaching, it seemed like a lot of people on their journey would be returning the coming week to celebrate with family. It's why Gary was a ball of energy right now. Gary just said it was because he liked the holidays, but Ash knew better. He was really excited to see his parents and siblings after so long. And he probably wanted to ask Red and Blue about their journeys too.

Ash had his own reasons to be excited. Even though he wasn't a fan of winter, he loved the holidays. He didn't really get what was so special about Christmas and New Years. They were like any other day to him. But for some reason, a cut throat place like Gray got a little softer during these times. There were pop up soup kitchens, clothes drives for people like him, Kia and Griff, and once even a toy drive. He remembered getting a kind looking stuffed bear from that drive. It smelled so nice and was super soft. Ash only had it for half a day before he saw a little girl from one of the other families that lived in the factory eyeing it. Even though it was a really nice bear, he had Kiara and sometimes even Griffin to cuddle with at night, so he figured it might be wasted on him. Seeing how happy she was when he gave it to her really made Ash think he made the right choice. It really would've been nice if people were that kind all year round, but it only seemed to last through December. Something was better than nothing. 

Now he lived in Pallet. Ash was used to things not working out, but ever since he got here things just kept getting better and better. He already thought Pallet was great and couldn't imagine it getting better, but if a place like Gray could get better during the holidays why couldn't Pallet? Ash really wanted to see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feedback so far?


	12. Chapter 12

Kaoru Akai was brimming with excitement. Not only was her baby Red coming home, but she and Delia would be putting on one of their famous Christmas parties. Sadly, they hadn't done one since the accident. Kaoru had stuck by Delia, of course, during her time of need but there was a bug going around town that had Red and most of the other children laid up. She did what she could to tend to Delia though, like cook for her, help with the diner, and go to her house to keep her company even if she wasn't responsive. It was the least she could do for her Dede.

Delia and her have been the best of friends since she could barely walk. She doesn't remember much about how they first met, but her mother swears that Kaoru was just so taken with baby Delia and refused to leave her side unless pried away. Delia was a cute baby, so Kaoru bought the story. They'd spend their childhood playing games with each other and their dolls in the flower fields of Pallet. Even though Kaoru was 2 years older than Delia, they just had this inexplicable connection and understanding of one another. The girls were sisters in all but blood. They were inseperable and could always be spotted together in school and around town together. Thank Mew for their relationship.

Delia was the only one of Kaoru's friends who didn't turn their back on her when she got pregnant at 16. She was Kaoru's rock during her time of need. Even though she was only 14, Delia put together a beautiful wedding with their mothers for her. It was straight out her Kaoru's dreams, but it shouldn't have been as big of surprise as it seemed at the time considering she'd told Delia all about her wedding dreams when they were little girls. Kaoru blames the the hormones for how teary-eyed she got. And it was teary-eyed. If Delia Sera says that she was downright sobbing with snot leaking from her nose, she's a lying Lotad. Even though the wedding had been quick, Red still arrived 6 months before her first anniversary. He had his mother's light brown hair and eyes, and would grow to have his father's facial features. Truly a beautiful baby and even made the the 19 hour labor worth it.

When Delia lost Jun and her parents. Kaoru stayed by her side as much as she could what with having a 6 year old to attend to. Her husband and in laws could only watch him for so long given they were land workers through and through. Land work was so sensitive and time consuming. Kaoru wasn't made to work the fields or anything, but she still had to pull her weight by tending to the home and her baby. And it wasn't a good idea to bring a child around Delia when she had just lost her own. It was only after she let Red loose at Professor Oak's to play with Green that she was actually able to find time to help Delia. By then, she'd realized that Dede had found comfort in her mother in law. Of course, she should be part of helping Delia, but her place really was making sure those two had as much time together as possible. 

Dede changed a lot over the years, but Kaoru would never leave her side. Not when all she could see was that little girl who stood up that clique of mean girls and told them off for calling her a whore. Pallet is a small town with little entertainment. Kids played their days away, but when they grew up and learned about grown up emotions they spent all their time doing other things. When people got in relationships here, it was dedicated and passionate. She was not the first, only, or last sexually active 15 year old to have graced Pallet. Her husband, 15 himself at the time, certainly wasn't innocent, but Kaoru got the brunt of the blame. Dede always stood up for her, not caring if it was the town's other doctor who was judging her. And when Dede told off those small minded boys, that sent Kaoru. Kaoru would've found a way to marry Dede. Pallet elders and laws be damned. If only her husband hadn't been a good, respectful boy who wanted to keep loving her and to do right by her and their baby, she really would've proposed to Dede. Kaoru really knew how to pick the good ones if her Dede and her husband were anything to go by.

So when this child showed up at Dede's, she felt so much relief. Arceus had finally heard her pleas and answered. Now, he was rough around the edges and clearly needed a lot of tender loving care, only Darkrai probably knew what real life nightmares the poor boy had suffered through, but something in Kaoru's gut told her this was it. This boy would help Dede and Dede would help this boy. And through her visits the past seven months since the boy had arrived, Kaoru was more than happy to say she called it. 

Even though she couldn't talk to the boy herself since she didn't know much Galarian, she knew he was a fine boy. He played so well with Chase. Delia said the boy was the sweetest thing too. When she'd see Delia laugh at something the boy would tell her, it made Kaoru really regretful for not taking up Mr. Gagne's offer on teaching her Galarian and Kalosian along with Delia.

Even though Delia's father grew up in Galar, his own mother was Kantonian and made sure he learned her language when he was young. His father was half Kalosian, and made sure Mr. Gagne learned it when he was young too. Mr. Gagne was really something, knowing three very distinct languages. He passed that knowledge along to his Delia. Boy, did it come in handy with this kid too. Dede says he's picking up Kantonian pretty quick and getting better at reading Galarian. She looked so happy whenever she talked about her boy.

Dede looks as radiant as she did when she and Jun were expecting. Having someone to care for really changes a person. Kaoru herself used to be messy and a bit indecisive, but then Red came along. Now she runs a tight ship, and any call she makes is with certainty. 

Which was coming in handy right now, since this was going to be their biggest party yet. Professor Oak wanted to host the party at his lab since his entire family would be making it back for the holidays. Oak had been good to Kaoru since Red became champion, always there to assure her that he was doing fine for himself. And he was always good to Delia since he was a good friend of Delia's great aunt. She and her husband had helped him immensely in pursuing higher education even when Professor Oak's own parents had been unsupportive. And now that Delia was in better spirits, he wanted to give what he could to their festivities.

Boy were they milking it for all it was worth. The lab had one of the largest living quarters in town. The Oaks, Delia and her boy, her own family, and the Yukikos were going to have a blast. Between her party planning and Delia's cooking, they were going to be living it up!

Kaoru was worried though. She knew about the bullying that was targeted at Ash. This old town could really rile her up sometimes. Just because he was a few shades darker than they're used to doesn't mean he's any less beautiful. Kaoru really meant it too. She really thought the boy was beautiful, especially those eyes! Why they're practically like two precious rubies. But it was just Pallet's old ways nitpicking at anything veering from the norm. She hated the things she'd hear around town.

It wasn't just his his skin tone or facial scars they'd go after either. Apparently, his nose was a touch wide and his lips were too big for his face. They poisoned the children's minds too. When she took her Chase to the playground and saw Ash there with Gary, some of the children would be spouting the same dribble as their parents about him being dirty or weird looking. Kaoru almost wished the boy didn't learn Kantonian, so he wouldn't have to pay any mind to that nonsense. 

The good Professor raised his grandson right. Gary wouldn't stand for people being so mean to his friend. He'd tell them off straight away. It reminded her of her Delia back in the day and warmed her heart to see. Kaoru didn't even know that little Gary Oak knew what a bigot was, but she guessed she should have expected it considering how smart the boy was. Always had a good head on his shoulders that one.

What worried Kaoru though was how far Ash had come with his Kantonian. Now he would finally understand the mean things that were bring said about him. And he wasn't even far along in his learning to speak in order to defend himself. Since Pallet was so small, almost all the children would get together for the Snow Festival. There would be Snowman building contests, hot chocolate and sledding. It was one of the high points of the season, but she didn't want Ash around those wretched children and their parents. She wished they'd cleared the air like she had with Chase.

As much as Kaoru hates to admit it, her own Chase didn't react well to Ash at first. The first time they went over to greet Delia and Ash after a month of his settling in was tense at first. Chase refused to come out from behind her leg and greet the boy. He even pulled her down and whispered in her ear that he was Ash was strange looking and that he was afraid of him. She snuck off Chase to the bathroom where they had a serious talk. Pallet is a small town and word of Ash had gotten around fast. The children had come up with the strangest tall tales of Ash being some sort of a demon. She set her boy straight right there and then. 

She told him that Ash was just a little boy from a far away region and that people from different regions look different. If he went to Ash's region, he'd probably look strange to them. Ash was a sweet boy who'd probably love to play with him if Chase gave him a chance. Chase was reluctant, but he seemed to heed some of what she'd said. 

When they walked back to the living room, Ash brought over a big plate of Delia's cookies and mimed for Chase to take one. It really was a sweet show. She even giggled a bit at it. Chase certainly thought it was funny and took the offered treat. They even played catch outside after lunch. Chase didn't wanna leave his new friend either since he was really fun. Ash really was something to be able to have her Chase so infatuated without saying a single word. Smart too to have figured out the miming.

"I can't wait till Ash can speak Kantonian. I wanna talk about Pokemon and baseball and videogames and----"

Very infatuated.

She'd just have to figure out things to keep everyone preoccupied. It'd be difficult to get the kids minds off the festival, but no doubt Kaoru could do it. It was for sweet little Ash and Dede after all.


	13. Chapter 13

Green was the first to arrive home. Viridian wasn't too far from Pallet, so the journey wasn't that bad, even with the snow. Daisy should be back by the end of the week and his parents were cutting it really close by flying in from Kalos mid next week, only two days before Christmas. Apparently, their dig got a lead on Aurorus and Tyrantrum fossils. 

Walking into Pallet made Green feel really nostalgic. He should really come home more often to see his brother and Gramps, but the Gym was just so busy. He had a hard time leaving even now, but he finally bit the bullet and locked up the place. He even left a festive sign on the door saying "Smell ya after the holidays!"

A guy needs to see his family sometime. He even hunted down Red and dragged his ass off Mt. Silver for this. Poor Mrs. Akai hadn't seen him in a while. The woman worried a lot, and she just happened to be blessed with a jackass hermit of a son. That son was walking right beside Green at this moment.

"Warm."

"It's only warm to you because that mountain fucked with your nerves. This is pretty cold for normal people."

Wind-chill was like -37 degrees Celsius and that bastard had the gall to say it's warm. 

"Beat it, you're mom is probably worried sick. And if you go back to that mountain before New Year's I swear Pidgeot and I will be making a lot of trips to read you more of those girly magazines Blue keeps forwarding me."

Red's mortified look was amusing. Red hated gossip rags and going clothes shopping as it was, and to hear about what celebrities were dating and what was flattering on different body types was just 'bleh.' What even was paisley and why was it in next spring? Also those personality tests were bogus. He was not a busy body, social Butterfree taking the world by Silverstorm. And his celebrity match up was definitely not Lance. Anyone, but Lance. It messed with his mind and made him take his focus off his Pokemon.

"Later."

Green smirked. He actually asked Blue to send him her copies when she was done with them to mess with Red. Blue was all for it too as long as he...ahem...made sure to keep up their correspondence. Wow, the wind was reddening his skin. He should really head to lab quick.

Walking up to the lab made Green really feel like he was home.

"Arcanine!"

"Hey there buddy, haha, I missed you too! Hahaha, stop that it tickles."

Gramps' Arcanine was still the same friendly furball. He hadn't been back in like 10 months. Good to see he hadn't been forgotten in all that time.

"Go on Arcanine. I need to keep a low profile to surprise Gar and Gramps. They weren't expecting me for another two days."

After shooing off the Pokemon and digging though his pocket for his keys, he made his way in.

"Surprise! Look who's back!"

In the Foyer with his hands flourished waiting for Gary cuddles and Gramps hugs. Something was off though.

"Gary? Gramps? Where are you guys at?"

He took a bit of a stroll around the house. Not much had changed. Things were spick and span as ever though. Must've been because of that party Gramps was telling him about. Mrs. Sera was catering, so Green was super excited. Nobody in sight though. He could see Pokemon who could stand the weather out though. Maybe he should let some of his own loose in the green house to stretch their legs.

The greenhouse is where most Pokemon would stretch their legs and stay active during the winter. 

"There you go guys."

Pidgeot was a little cramped in the space, but he'd manage. Goldduck had left to play with the other water Pokemon in the pond. Rhyperior was taking in his surroundings and Venasaur seemed to just be taking in the the artificial light. Gramps only sprung for the best, and it was showing. Seems like it was a good substitute for sunlight. Scizor and Exeggutor had found good spots to hangout out too. Good to see everyone settle in with no conflict. Last thing Green needed was to have to break up a Pokemon fight in the greenhouse and explain it to Gramps.

From the looks of it, Gramps and Gary were probably out shopping. Well there goes the surprise. Green couldn't be bothered to hide and wait for them. Right as he was about to open up the T.V. and settle on the coach, the doorbell rang.

What, did they forget their keys? But that made no sense since they shouldn't know he's here. No way it's someone from town because he made sure to move as inconspicuously as possible. He loved Pallet, but a guy needs his space. And there was those rude ones who liked to point out he was champion for barely a week. Those guys ticked him off. Why bother to go into how long he held the title? They just wanted to get a rise out of him. Truth be told, Green was actually glad to have lost the title. Being champion was too much, even for the showboating brat he used to be. He actually felt bad about the shit Red had to go through, what with the mobbing, the packed schedules, even forfeiting rights to his image, but better Red than him. 

The bell rang again. Whoever this was wasn't going away.

"What do you want?"

He'd opened the door to no one in front of him. This was a prank and not like that story Blue told him about the spirits of dead trainers haunting the lab. He definitely wasn't going to close the door and die tonight.

"Wow Gary, you got big."

What? 

He and Gary looked a lot alike, sure but they were brothers so why wouldn't they? At the same time though, he was like 6 years older and a foot and a half taller. Green looked down. It was a munchkin in a big puffy blue jacket and a little red hat and scarf.

"Oh wait, you're Green. You're home early, Gary's must be so excited!"

From the looks of it, this must be that new kid Gary was going on and on about. What was his name again?

"Can I come in? It's cold. Do you not speak Galarian like Gary, cuz that's gonna make things harder."

"Sorry little buddy, you caught me by surprise. Get in here."

"Thank you!"

A munchkin with manners. Gary could be a handful. He meant well, but he was young and absent minded about these things. Just like he had been. As the kid shed off his outer layer to his sweater. Green noticed a few things. Oh Mew, those scars look brutal. And he's a little too tiny for his age right? Green had heard the story straight from his Gramps of the kid washing up to the docks near Pallet. Hard to forget a thing like that, but looking at it was a bit too much. Gramps said he was doing better now. How bad was it before? Green wasn't sure he wanted to know.

He'd heard from a Jenny here and there about negligent parents on his journey. Especially in the big cities. In fact, as a Gym Leader he was required to report anybody who seemed to show signs. All part of the system of keeping trainers safe on their journey. He'd never heard of a case being reported though. Kanto was a relatively safe region.

"Hey, Green. Do you think Gary will be back soon?"

"I just got here myself kid. They were gone before I arrived. What are you doing here by the way?"

"Miss Delia needed to fix the holiday menu, so she dropped me off here."

"Why didn't you go with her?"

The kid looked uncomfortable at the question. Maybe he shouldn't have asked. He was about to tell the kid he didn't have to answer, but then he did.

"The people there don't like me much. I don't like to worry Miss Delia when she's working."

Well that's strange. Ash seemed like a nice enough kid. Who'd have a problem with him?

"No worries kid. I used to be the same when my parents were working. One time they took me to a dig for Pokemon fossils. I chased my mom's Houndoom into the tables and knocked over everything. Try having 20 scientists mad at you. They're a scornful bunch."

That seemed to put the boy at ease. Then he heard the front door opening up.

"Look who's home. Come on let's go see them."

Walking into the foyer, Green spotted his Gramps carrying groceries and little Gary clutching a brown bag close to his chest.

"Finally decided to join the party I see."

"GREEN! You're home! You're really home!" 

Gary bum rushed his leg and gripped for dear life. 

"Good to see you my boy."

Green was soaking up the attention, until that kid entered in after him.

"Hi."

That's all it took to get Gary off of Green and latched onto the boy.

"Ash you're here too!"

Green should probably be a bit miffed that his own brother, who he hadn't seen in months aside from video calls, seemed just as excited to see his little friend, if not more. But it was pretty cute to see them hugging like that.

"Come along boys. Let's get started on lunch. It's Green's favorite."

Viridian had nothing on Gramps' tomato berry soup. It was good to be home.


	14. Chapter 14

Red felt bad. His mom cried a lot when he walked through the door. He missed her too. Even though Mom was giving him his space, like she knew he liked, all he really wanted a hug and to hear how she's been. Despite what Green said, he cared about his mom a lot. He was just bad at showing it and got distracted easily if Pokemon were involved. And his brother had been watching the Unova Championships when he walked in. Mew, was he a mess.

Red tried to make up for it by talking to his little brother Chase. He'd only seen Chase like three times since he'd been born. He was there for the birth since it was right before the start of his journey. Red still remembered the wrinkly red pile of mush he'd been. And that Arceus forsaken crying. His journey really couldn't have started at a better time. Then he came back for Chase's birthday. The brat had chucked a handful of cake at him and laughed while clapping like it was the best entertainment ever. The third meeting was the worst though. It had happened right after Chase had turned two and Red had just become champion. He was back in Pallet trying to get away from the journalists and mobs of fans. A few of them happened to follow him to Pallet and scared Chase with their flash photography. It was a mess, and Red was upset that he'd let it happen with Chase. The league tried to write it off by saying that it was because his win was recent, so he was a hot topic. Red knew the truth though. He was just a cash grab to them. More publicity of their Champion meant more sponsorships and what not. 

Green only experienced a portion of the media mayhem, even he admitted it was a lot. The last long reigning Champion, Lance, didn't have to deal with this kinda thing because he had managers and lawyers to fix it for him. Red didn't know anything about that stuff. He was a small town kid. Thankfully, there were a few upright members on the Indigo League board. They filed a lawsuit against big media outlets, like PokemonWeekly and The PokeStar. The charges had been dropped as long as the media backed off and stayed out of Pallet. Professor Oak had more to do with the latter development though. Red still stayed away from Pallet for a bit until the heat was off. It helped that the newness of his title was gone now, but there were setbacks.

His little brother barely even remembers him. He even seems a little apathetic towards him. Red knows he's not the best at communicating. Poor Chase seemed really awkward whenever mom made him get in front of the video call camera. He figured it would be better in person, but they had even less to say now than over the phone.

In fact, the only things Chase has said so far is welcome back. They've been sitting quietly next to each other and watching the battles. It was so akward.

When Green's little brother Gary called him, they talked about everything under the sun. From what they ate today to what they dreamt of the night before. They seemed so at ease with each other. And here Red was, barely able to get his own little brother to look at him. 

Contrary to how it may have seemed to others, Red actually loved the idea of being a big brother. Pallet was a very family oriented town. Few families had one kid. Red was never the best at socializing, Green literally had to wrestle him in the dirt to get him to respond. He just didn't get people or how to keep their attention. He used to think that if had a little brother or sister, he might have someone like him who didn't get people too. That could be what they connect over. At least he had Green and sometimes Blue. That nice girl Yellow too. That one always knew how to keep the conversation going, and didn't even care that he wasn't good at responding. Hope she called again soon. Their conversations were usually her telling him about the trouble she caused, the problems she solved and the Pokemon she healed that day. In all honesty, Red would have preferred to meet in person. 

Green didn't know this, but he actually did get off the mountain more than he knew about. Except he didn't go to hang out with Green, which is what a good friend would have done, or call his family, like a good son would have done. He was helping Yellow with whatever she was doing in Viridian Forest like collecting herbs for her remedies. Maybe that's why he was in this situation.

Chase's entire attention was on the T.V. and mom was answering a call in the kitchen. Dad had only ruffled up his hair a bit and gone out to the fields. Even though everything was normal, Red just couldn't help feeling like it should be different.

"Boys, I'm going to run some errands. Instead of leaving you two here to your own means, it might be best if you two head over to Professor Oak's lab. Delia's boy is there too."

"Ash is there! What are waiting for. Let's get a move on people."

Chase got up and in his winter clothes so fast Red was almost dizzy from watching. Who's Ash? Why does Chase like him so much?

Green was just finishing up the story of his last battle beforing closing the Gym during lunch. He had all eyes on him and right when he was about to tell them how Venasaur worked through the burn like the champion knew she was to counter the Blaziken, the door bell rang. Daisy isn't due for a few more days. Who the hell could it be.

"Green."

SLAM!

"Green! That is not how we treat guests."

"But Gramps," he whined, "I just got rid of him a few hours ago."

"Green Oak, open that door or there will be no Pecham berry pudding for you.'

Gramps really knew how to push the right buttons.

He opened the door and stared Red hard in the face with contempt.

"You know, when I said you're not allowed to go back to Mt. Silver till the holidays are up, it wasn't an open invitation to come to my house. I deal with enough of your bullshit in Viridian."

"Language! Mommy doesn't like those types of words. Is Ash really here? I wanna play!"

Looks like Red brought along his brother too.

"He's in the dining room with Gary. Take off your shoes and scram."

The brothers walked in. Chase, ever the speedster, had all but ripped off his jacket and shoes and was making a break for it. Red, on the other hand, was moving robotically. His eye brows were furrowed. Uh oh. Green knew that look. It was the same look Red gave when his genius brain couldn't work out something. More often than not, it was his social awkwardness. Green sighed. Here they go again.

"Alright, out with it! My time is precious."

Red said nothing, but looked pensive. Green knew his friend was bad at verbalizing, and kept repeating that in his head to curb impatience. Afterall, when Red's like this they're usually on the verge of a breakthrough with him.

"Gary...really likes you."

...Screw being a good friend. Green did not pull away from the Gym to spend time with his family only to be jerked around by Red like this.

"Get outta my house!"

Green turned around and went back to the dining room.

It looked like a munchkin moshpit. Those little goobers seemed to be really into each other. Green was happy to see that Gary had found some good friends just like he had. He'd never let those said friends know that though. And here comes one of them now.

"Chase likes Gary and that kid."

He hasn't moved passed this yet?

"Come on, just say what you mean. There's only so much Red speak a person can follow."

"Chase... doesn't like me."

"No shit he doesn't. He barely knows you. You can't just walk into his life and expect for it to be all perfect. Especially now since he's a little older. You're gonna have to work at it."

At this point, Red's blank face keyed Green into the fact that he still wasn't following.

"Alright, let's use something you get. Chase is like a newly caught Pokemon. The kind that need to see how you treat your other Pokemon before they can trust you. Are you following?"

Red nodded.

"Great! So get in their and interact with the other Pokemon. By Pokemon, I mean the other kids. It's really important you don't get that confused. If Chase sees they like you, he'll like you. Now go."

"Right," Red nodded once again before entering the kitchen.

Goodness, that guy may be champ, but he really is a mess.

Red's attempt to win over the kids only went well because of Gary. Gary was all over Red asking how he'd been doing and what he'd been working on at Mt. Silver. Pokemon was a good way to really see Red get going. The guy practically sparkles when he's talking about Charizard and Pika and how much they'd gotten stronger. Got the kids' attention without a problem. When he offered to release Pika is how he'd gotten them, hook, line and sinker.

Pika had always been a bit of a showboat. The fluffball knew he was cute and was not shy in the slightest. And right now he was basking in the wonder of three little kids who probably thought he was the best Pokemon in the world right now. Pika was on cloud nine with the pats and climbing on the kids.

"You're awesome Red!"

Chase is finally responding to him! Pokemon was the key. He should have known. That's literally how he made all his friends. They didn't need to be like Green and Gary. This was enough for Red.


	15. Chapter 15

Ash really didn't think life in Pallet could be better, then came the Christmas party. Miss Delia gave him a really nice blue shirt, black pants and even a red tie for the event. 

Miss Delia was putting the final touches on the food and Mrs. Akai was helping. Ash wasn't used to all these people, so he tried to stick close to them. Eventually, Miss Delia asked him to go play with the others. She probably thought he was bored, and Ash wished he'd said something, but he really didn't want to go against anything Mis Delia told him to. 

Miss Delia had been really good to him these past 8 months. Even though Ash knew that Miss Delia was sad, like Kia, she took really good care of him. Kia could only take care of him for so long before she needed to rest. Miss Delia would look sad for a bit, but as soon as Ash called her out or touched her leg, she'd snap out of it and go back to normal. Ash figured it was because Miss Delia was an older adult than Kia. Kia should be turning 19 this year in January afterall.

Ash walked into the party in the living room. Mrs. Akai did a great job with the decorations. It looked like the inside of that really nice mall on Addison on the edge of Silver City back in Orre, big tree and everything. 

Ash didn't wanna bother anyone, so he tried to make his way to the window where he could see the ice type Pokemon out on the ranch. Chase hadn't been playing with him as much since Red got home, neither had Gary or Leaf and Fire. Gary was with his family after such a long time. Green was really fun and Daisy was one of the nicest people Ash had met. Their parents were nice too, but Ash didn't wanna get too close. Same with the Yukikos and Akais. They hadn't seen each other in so long and Ash didn't wanna get in between it. He remembers what is was like for him and Kia when Griff would come back after a while. It was the best feeling in the world. One that he never wanted to end.

Professor Oak didn't seem to mind breaking off and coming to talk to Ash though.

"Enjoying yourself my boy?"

"Yes sir this is all very nice."

"That's good to hear. Did you have anything like this from where you came?"

These questions again. Ash had noticed them a long time ago. Professor Oak and Dr. Yukiko would subtlety bait him to get more information about his life before Pallet. Ash didn't really wanna tell them about Gray and tried to keep his answers as vague as possible. He figured if they knew where he was from that they'd ship him back. But recently, he's been feeling like there isn't anything to be afraid of anymore. He and Miss Delia have a really good relationship. Miss Delia would never send him away.

"Yes there were. There were lots of people who had a faith back there. Something to believe in, they said, to give them hope even when things get rough. I didn't get a lot of it, but I like the idea of something after dying and something watching over us. This Christmas shindig was more the church people's thing though. The mosque and synagogue people had their own holidays."

...Well that wasn't what Oak was expecting at all. Ash never gave him a good answer. Usually he'd be really vague. His answer was interesting too. Not many people still practiced the old religions. Nowadays more people prayed to Pokemon because their power was more tangible than description of peoples passed. Each little bit learned about Ash led to more and more questions. But it seemed like Ash was finally opening up to them.

"Food's ready!"

Miss Delia had finally exited the dining room. She finally took off the apron and let her pretty green dress out. The feast was all set, and for afterwards Mrs. Akai had organized a gingerbread house building contest for the kids. Miss Delia made a beeline for Ash.

"You hungry dear?"

"Yup."

He could never get enough of Miss Delia's food.

Ding Dong!

"He's finally here! I'll go greet him."

The Oak couple had invited another Kantonian they met in Kalos during their dig. Apparently he was the site's handyman. He worked in Celadon as a contractor and repairman and had joined the dig as a way to get out of the city. The Oaks had talked up small town life to him and he was very interested in moving to Pallet. They even invited him to the party to get him acclimated.

Ash didn't really care about this new guy. He had plenty of people around that he cared about now. His plan was to just blend in with the background and make no eye contact, then go home with Miss Delia and have a nice Christmas movie marathon until they fell asleep on the couch.

"Hi everyone! I'm Ren Tone from Celadon. It's nice to meet all of you."

Ren Tone was a simple 30 year old man with light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was at a point in his life where he was ready to leave the city. It was always so dreary and crowded there. Not enough green spaces for his liking either. His grandpa lived on a farm when he was growing up. It was the best place in the world to him and Ren would look forward to every summer when he'd get to go play in his fields and help his grandpa. The old man had even taught Ren how to build which became the love of his life.

But building could only fulfill a guy for so long. He really needed to go back to a place he knew he loved, the countryside. Best decision he'd made in a while. All these people looked so warm and welcoming, not distant like city folk. Maybe there could be more for him to fall in love with out here. That lady in green sure was pretty.

...Oh no. That look. That look that Griff would get when he looked at Kia, the same one he'd seen on Green when he looked at Blue. This was not supposed to happen. It was supposed to be just him and Miss Delia. Ash can't deal with this guy. He doesn't want to deal with guy.

Looks like there's been a change plans. He's gotta make Mr. Tone lose that look by the end of the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first season confirmed religion is a thing in Pokemon. I looked it up and someone created a whole page of Pokemon religions on Bulbapedia. I just think it's interesting to think about how those things might coexist in the same world, so I wrote a little blurb. There will be little religious references after this. It might come up again somehow, like if it fits with a character, their background or their motives, but I am not going to be pushing any religion or anything. Just thought it fit here because the show has Christmas specials. Let me know if you guys think this is interesting or would like me to address any topics in the Pokemon world. All critiques and ideas are welcome.


	16. Chapter 16

It was a bright sunny day in Pallet Town. Ren exited the residence and took in the wide open fields in front of him. He raised his arms above his brown haired head and took in a deep breath of that country fresh air. Definitely an improvement from Celadon's cramped and traffic strewn streets and smog. These past four months in Pallet had been just the thing he'd needed, and he didn't regret the life he'd left behind.

Right now he was renting out of the Oak labs. He had plenty of money saved from his work in Celadon, but he just wasn't sure what plot of land to spend it on yet. Did he want to be closer to town, the lake or the botanical gardens? Everywhere was so tempting. He figured he'd wait till the snow cleared so he could have a better idea of what he was working with.

Living with the Professor was nice. He gave him an extremely generous price, even by country standards. Ren tried to split the difference by doing odd jobs for the old guy. He certainly had the skills for it.

Along with the good Professor, Pallet had a lot of work for a guy like him. Aside from building, he knew his way around an electric circuit, garden and motor vehicles too. Work had been a little slow in the winter, only taking looks at stalling car engines and the occasional boiler inspection and repair, but spring was here. He was flooded with building and painting requests. Might even have to hire some help to get it all done. 

Yup, the work was a flowing. He'd even started making aquaintences and, dare he say it, friends. The Akais were good people. He and the Mister had a lot in common since they were close in age and so used to working outdoors. Guy even offered him work on their barn this spring. The Missus was a sweet thing too. Always asking him about Celadon and his own family. They invited him over regularly for dinner. Kinda made him feel bad to skip out on the Professor, but the guy encouraged it. Said young people should be more active and that he could only entertain him so long. 

Ren was really happy with the life he was building himself out here. Everything was perfect. 

Well...almost perfect.

He wasn't making much progress with that woman in the green dress. Now Ren had a girlfriend here and there back in Celadon, but it was never serious. Most women just wanted him for a good time even though Ren wanted to settle down and start a family. And then he saw Delia Sera. She's gotta be one of the prettiest women he's ever seen. Definitely mixed since she didn't have the Kantonian monolid and her hair was a bit reddish. 

From the moment he saw her, he was taken with her. Now he'd never believed in love at first sight, because that's definitely not what happened that night. He was interested, sure, but it was only after he started talking to her that he started falling for her. She was so sweet and funny and boy could she cook. He hadn't had such great cooking since he left his parents' home. He was always a disaster in the kitchen making only barely edible food. Delia thought it was cute though. Gave him a couple tips too and offered a few cooking classes in exchange for a few fix ups around the house and yard.

It was honestly going so great. He really thought they could go somewhere with it. Then that kid spilled his drink on the both of them. Turned out Delia's been fostering him for a few months. Now that boy was definitely not Kantonian. Too dark-skinned and no monolid. He was a little on the light skinned side to be Fiorean, but he had some of their features. He'd met a few Fioreans in Celadon who were there on business. They were a very distinct looking people with their dark skin and curly hair, but good people all the same. Maybe the kid was mixed like Delia. Whatever that kid was, one thing was certain, he didn't like Ren very much.

Every time Ren got near Delia, the kid would do something to take her attention away. If they met while grocery shopping, the kid would point to something that he just had to have and pull her away. If he were doing a job nearby and dropping in for a visit, he'd send Ren away before he could even get in claiming that Miss Delia was at work. Even though he could clearly see through the window the woman was at home. The few times the kid came over to the lab didn't go great either. Ren tried to win Ash over by offering to show him how to build a pidgeyhouse. It was one of the first things his grandpa had shown him to make. One of the things that made him fall in love with building. He'd even gotten Gary Oak to like him with the little activity, but Ash turned him down straight away and avoided him the entire day. Something was really up with that kid.

In a way, Ren could understand why the kid was being so stand offish. His own father had passed away when he was very young. When his mother brought along men to their home, he'd throw huge fits to get them out. Even cut the wires on one of their cars to get his point across. He'd been 14 and extremely rebellious at the time. Thank goodness that guy didn't press charges. Thank goodness that guy had only crashed into the neighbor's fence and gotten a little scuffed up. That guy was the one who stuck around in the end. The one who made his mother happy and even helped raise him. 

He really was a good man, never hit Ren even at his worst. The most he ever did was give a stern talking to when he was flunking out of school. Said that he was a smart kid who shouldn' t let himself go to waste. Or worry him and his mother as much. As much as Ren hated to admit it at the time, the guy really made an impact. He helped Ren with his schoolwork, got him back on track and even tried to work with his hands more because, even though he was so white collar and a mess with anything that wasn't a computer, he knew Ren loved it. But he taught Ren everything he knew about circuitry and wiring. Made up for the fact they had to leave grandpa's home in the country for stuffy Celadon. By the time his little sister came around, he was more sold on the idea of having a dad.

He figured this was probably retribution. His mother was a fine woman with a scoundrel for a son. Only seemed fair that he fall for a fine woman with her own little hellion. At least he didn't cause as much property damage as Ren did. Thing was that the kid didn't know he'd been visiting Delia at her work at the diner. It helped that the food was great, but sometimes he'd coax Delia into sitting with him and telling her more about herself. That backfired though, she'd say little about herself and spend their time going on and on about Ash. Most men would find it annoying, but Ren found it endearing.

What he learned about Delia actually came from the grapevine. Apparently, the townspeople did not have a good review of her aside from her cooking. It was Kaoru who set him straight. Looks like Delia's had more than her fair share of heartbreak. But she soldiered on, not taking shit from anyone and even ran a booming business while taking care of a child at the same time. That kind of strength was rare and even made Ren admire her more. 

But understanding the situation more made Ren realize something. If he had even a Snowrunt's chance in the desert, he needed to win over Ash. He just needed the right chance.

"Oh there you are Ren! I'm going to be taking a trip to Kalos with Gary. Seems that my boy and daughter-in-law have come across something huge. It may not be my field of study, but even I'm a bit curious. You think you can manage around here without me? That'll mean taking care of Ash. Delia's got some new ideas cooked up for the diner."

And there it was.

"No worries Professor Oak. Leave everything to me."


	17. Chapter 17

They say inspiration can come from the most unsuspecting places. For Ash, it came in the form of a 5" 10' man with brown hair and eyes and a strong build named Ren Tone. From the night he met Mr. Tone, Ash realized that he'd let his guard down. Bad things happened when Ash let his guard down. Changes needed to be made.

So Ash had been working harder at learning Kantonian. He'd even stopped responding to Miss Delia in Galarian. He had to practice after all. Practice so he could let Mr. Tone know he wasn't welcome.

Ash was usually a good kid. He had to behave to not worry Miss Delia after all. That went out the door when Ren came around. His number one priority was to not let Miss Delia get involved with Mr. Tone. On some level, Ash felt bad about what he was doing because Mr. Tone seemed like a nice enough guy, but he couldn't take the chance. He thought Wells was a nice enough guy and would be a good foster dad. He ended up with his facial scars, among other things, because of that bastard. 

No sir, Ash was not going to take anymore chances with strange men. Even Professor Oak is barely considered safe to him. He doesn't even go to Chase's or Fire and Leaf's home because he doesn't wanna run into their dads. Ash may be going a bit overboard with the defensiveness, but better safe than sorry. Especially now that he had Miss Delia. 

Ash was supposed to keep Miss Delia safe and happy. But now this guy was just waltzing in like no body's business and making Ash's job harder. He'd learned his lesson the hard way with Kia and on his own after all. Kia would go along with strange men, look a little downtodden when she was coming home, but she always came back with food and money. She left with someone one day and never came back home. When Wells took him in, he finally understood what Kia was doing all that time.

But Miss Delia had a good job and kept a roof over their heads without doing any of that. Mr. Tone may look at Miss Delia like Griff looked at Kia, but sometimes he looked at Miss Delia like those strange men looked at Kia. That made Ash's skin crawl. He was not about to wait around to see how this all turned out. 

But no matter what he did, Ash just knew that snake was getting around his interference somehow. He looked too happy not to be. Ash's fears were only confirmed when he had lunch at the lab and the guy made Miss Delia's Oran berry pie. He must have been hitting her up for cooking lessons when Ash was at the lab.

And now he was alone with the bastard. The Oaks were in Kalos and Miss Delia at the diner. Maybe he should have gone to Chase's after all, meeting Mr. Akai be damned. Ash could have hid from Mr. Akai who spent all day on his farm. Mr. Tone was not letting Ash out of his sight for a second. Said he needed to make sure Ash didn't get into any trouble. Sounds like something Wells would have told him. Ash had to obey too or else Miss Delia might get upset and stop going to the diner. She always seemed a little happier after she got back from there, so he couldn't let that happen.

But just because he needed to stay in the man's sight didn't necessarily mean Ash needed to be in close proximity to him. They spent a lot of time outdoors because Mr. Tone was building Professor Oak new enclosures. That meant Ash could be far away from Mr. Tone and still be doing as he was told.

That plan worked well for a while. It was scrapped after their fourth day together. A new Nidoking had come to the lab's pasture from a trainer abroad, which would have been fine if the lab wasn't already hosting a Nidoking. Ren didn't know much about Pokemon hierarchy, he was just doing as he'd been told. Fill the feeding bowls, clean the stalls, make sure the habitats are in order, release Pokemon transferred to the lab. It was fine in the morning, Ren had released the new Nidoking in the new additions pasture for some exercise. Ash had come to the lab a little after. While Ren was building some of the new enclosures, and trying to keep an eye on the Ash (gosh, the kid really does not like him), the new Nidoking escaped his enclosure and found himself in the habitat of the other Nidoking. The situation was not helped by the fact that an unmated Nidoqueen also resided in the habitat. 

One moment, Ren was putting up the fence and occasionally glancing over to Ash who seemed to be enchanted by the bug type habitat nearby. Only a few enclosures over. Then next thing, a Nidoking was Seismic Tossed too close to Ash for comfort. Things didn't get better when the other Nidoking showed up and continued his assault with Rockslide. So much dirt and rock was kicked up, and it definitely hit the kid because even among all the growling, Ren could hear Ash's small voice scream out in pain. 

This was not supposed to happen. He was supposed to get the kid used to him. Ease Ash into liking him. Like his old man had done with him. But here he was, watching as the kid might just get crushed by two huge, raging Pokemon. He had to move fast. Ren threw out his Primape to break it up. Meanwhile, he rushed in to get Ash out of there. There was a large gash on his left leg and he was bleeding a lot, but the kid wasn't crying. In fact, he was crawling away from the fight as quickly as he probably could. The determination looked wrong on someone so young, but it made it easier for Ren to get to him from across the pastures. He picked Ash up and carried him inside. A lab hand had finally come in and helped do away with the situation. Ren's Primate did a great job of assisting. He'd raised it from a mankey, so he knew it could handle itself. All it took was a taunt to get their attention and then a few thrashes and low kicks to seal the deal.

But Ren wasn't paying attention to any of that. He was paying attention to Ash, bleeding in his arms. The only time he'd seen a kid hurt was his sister after a roller skating accident. She was bawling from the pain, and all she had was a tiny scrap on her arm. That happened when she was 12. So why the fuck is this 7 year old, who is actually injured, so calm? The kid was even putting pressure on the wound as Ren was running him into the lab's kitchen. It's like he's used to taking care of injuries.

"Okay, okay. Everything is okay. You're okay. No worries we're gonna fix you up and everything is gonna be okay. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Calm down. There's a first aid kit in the bathroom."

He's way too calm, but at least Ren can fix him up. "Got it. You stay on the counter."

Now what came next was the easy part. Ren had racked up more than a few injuries on personal building projects. He'd almost said goodbye to his thumb because of a power saw incident. His friend was freaked out and pissed at Celadon traffic on their way to hospital. He, on the other hand, did a good emergency stitching job on the way. Even the emergency nurse complimented him. Man was he glad he had that going for him. Ren had the cut cleaned and stitched within minutes of getting his hands on that first aid kit. There was no topical numbing cream in the kit, so he tried to do it as quick as possible. Ash was doing too good for someone in his position. Only flinching as the needle went in the first few times. Damn the kid has a great pain tolerance. Probably the wrong time to be so impressed.

"Alright. I think we're done here. How are you feeling now?"

"Still fine. Thank you."

Ash got off the counter. He was a little shaky at first, but recovered quickly enough. And was trying to get away from him again. Ren could've done a better job of taking care of Ash if he just stuck closer and trusted him more. At least his old man had Ren's guilt to manipulate. Meanwhile, Ren's got nothing on the kid and this really needs to stop. 

"Wait Ash, let's have a chat."

Ash rolled his eyes, here we go.

"Now I understand you don't like me. Trust me I've been there too."

The hell you have.

"You know, my own Dad died when I was real young, younger than you in fact. I didn't make it easy on my mom either. Especially when she started seeing people again. But I want you to know that I'm gonna do right by you and Delia if you just give me the chance."

Ash stared at Mr. Tone really hard. Maybe, just maybe, Ash was wrong to keep turning Mr. Tone away. Mr. Tone could turn out to be like Griff. If Mr. Tone was like Griff, Ash might be doing a horrible thing keeping him away from Miss Delia. Kia seemed her happiest when Griff was around. But Ash still wasn't sure if he wanted to take the risk. But... he seems so earnest. He did just save Ash from two beserk Pokemon and treat his wounds. That might be worth a fair shot. But Mr. Tone's gonna have to show him he's gonna be good to Miss Delia.

Ash stood as tall as his tiny 3' 6" body would allow and looked Mr. Tone straight in the eyes.

"Prove it."

That made Ren to smile. Finally a chance! But before he could make a move on Delia, he had to get in good with the kid.

"Much obliged little man. But first, let me teach you a thing or two. Ever looked under a car's hood?"


	18. Chapter 18

Eight months after Ash gave Ren his chance, Delia Sera became Delia Tone. The progression wasn't sudden or anything really, Ash saw it coming from the first dinner they all had together a month into their little agreement.

It really wasn't out of place that after the Nidoking incident that they started spending a lot more time together. Now whenever Mr. Tone and Miss Delia came into contact, Ash didn't stop it. He just observed. Made sure Mr. Tone didn't do anything unsightly. Sometimes he'd tried to include Ash in their little conversations by asking him how he was and things of the sort. Ash would respond, but awkwardly at best. What really got the ice to break between them though was Mr. Tone's work.

Mr. Tone really did know how to do incredible things with his hands. Even when Ash was giving him the cold shoulder, he'd still glance over to Mr. Tone when he was engrossed in his work. It was cool to see him take these random pieces of wood and expertly cut them to construct enclosures for Professor Oak. At the end of each day, there would be things there that weren't there when he first arrived. And Mr. Tone did it all on his own with his two hands and some tools. So when he offered to teach Ash a thing or two, Ash jumped at the chance.

Their first project together was Professor Oak's car whose engine was making funny noises. Mr. Tone was by no means a great teacher. He'd ramble on and on about transmission fluid, types of batteries, belts and hoses. Ash didn't know those words in Galarian or Kantonian, so he had a hard time understanding what was going on. Mr. Tone seemed to notice when he asked Ash for tools and saw how lost he looked. He then slowed down, pointed to each part and explained their significance, showed him how each tool worked and even stopped from time to time to see if Ash had any questions. Just because he wasn't the best teacher didn't mean he couldn't learn to be a better one. By the end of that day they had the car running normally, and Ash had learned a lot of new Kantonian. 

This newfound interest and trust really changed Ash's routine. Ash spent that summer playing with Gary, Fire and Leaf and cooking with Miss Delia, as usual, but he'd also seek out Mr. Tone to learn more about making things with his hands. He learned to paint properly without leaving streaks, how to use various tools and even to plan out projects. Ash loved every second of learning from him. In between all of Mr. Tone's work, they even built a pidgeyhouse that stood proudly in Miss Delia's front lawn. Ash's interest in Mr. Tone and his work allowed for Miss Delia to get more comfortable around him as well. She even started to invite him to continue their cooking lessons at her home because the Pallet House kitchen was getting too hectic. 

That's how the dinners started. Miss Delia would teach him a few dishes whenever he had time to stop by, and it end up being their dinner. It started with once in a while, then went to once a week and then at least twice a week. Ash would watch them interact, and even help with fetching ingredients or utensils. It was a fun time, really, and Ash was their best taste tester since he was super honest about it being good or bad. Miss Delia would try to spare Mr. Tone when it didn't turn out as they'd wanted, but Ash was blunt as ever when it came to food. Didn't mean he didn't want to eat all of it though. He had too much of an appreciation for food and regular meals because of his life in Gray to pay taste mind. But Miss Delia would always fix it and make it taste better because she knew food magic. 

Mr. Tone was a fun dinner guest too. He had lots of cool stories about Celadon City and his grandpa's farm. It made for rowdy nights. Before, when it was just him and Miss Delia, they'd only talk about Ash and his day because Miss Delia wasn't in the mood to share much. Her only interest seemed to be Ash. It was only after he started coming over that Ash learned a lot more about Miss Delia, like that she loved to go dancing and watch Kalosian movies. He'd never seen Miss Delia dance and they only watched Kantonian television. He'd give them their alone time too after the table was cleared. He remembered how much Kia and Griff liked their alone time, even though it was just them sitting together in their small area of the factory while Ash went to play with the nearby family's kids. They seemed to appreciate it because sometimes he could overhear chuckles from Mr. Tone and sounds of playful indignation from Miss Delia. 

Miss Delia also started to go out more at night and Ms. Akai would come over with Chase to keep him company. He'd try to stay up to see Miss Delia when she got home, but usually failed. Those nights though, he'd hear someone come into his room. He'd tense up those times, but kept pretending to be asleep. But it'd just be Miss Delia coming in to re-tuck and kiss him for the night. The morning after those nights, he'd be greeted with a huge breakfast of all his favorites. It was after they celebrated his birthday on May 22nd, had the awesome razz berry cake Mr. Tone made, and saw how happy Miss Delia looked with him that he realized he'd made the right decision trusting Mr. Tone. 

That was a turning point for Ash, he started to put more faith in people. He was less and less awkward with Mrs. Akai with each encounter and even started to say quiet hellos to Mr. Akai when he went over to Chase's house. Turns out Mr. Akai was a nice guy too. He'd take him and Chase to their orchard plot not necessarily to help him harvest, but to let them pick whatever they wanted to take back to Mrs. Akai to make them a treat with. He even taught Ash a thing or two about farmwork that he showed Miss Delia in their garden. Their Cheri berry bush never looked healthier.

As the summer drew to a close, and his friends started up conversation about going back to school, Ash started to wonder. His Kantonian had improved immensely as had his reading skills. Mr. Tone actually had a lot of awesome books about super heroes he'd read with him sometimes. He also taught him a little about math because building seemed to require it. That, along with Miss Delia's continued lessons actually put him a year ahead of the other kids his age. And if he was being honest, school sounded fun. Fire said they played really fun games during gym and Leaf said that the science teacher Ms. Take always had something unique planned. 

Ash wanted to go to school too. Miss Delia seemed a bit uncomfortable by his request. He almost took it back, but then she okayed it. They went shopping for it and everything. And so came the first day of school with Miss Delia and Mr. Tone walking him up to the schoolhouse with his backpack in tow. It was shaped like a Squirtle shell and had crayons, pencils, a notebook and his favorite book about a Ducklett that everyone thought was ugly, but grew up to become a beautiful Swanna.

On the way there, they got a lot of weird looks. Miss Delia seemed off put, but Ash didn't notice. He was too excited. He did catch a couple of kids giving him quick glances. Maybe they were shy? He'd made lots of friends before who used to be shy, you just have to show how nice you are. He was gonna make lots of friend today for sure.

Unfortunately, the day did not go as he wanted. Turns out many of the Pallet townsman who were dropping off their children weren't expecting to see Dismal Delia or her mongrel today. Ash didn't even make it up the school steps before another mother said she didn't realize they let his kind in such establishments. Miss Delia had been holding his hand the entire way to school, but as soon as she heard the awful comment, she picked up Ash, said something he didn't recognize, but got quite a reaction from the other parents, and marched him home. Mr. Tone seemed to linger, but Ash was more focused on Miss Delia. What just happened?

Delia was not oblivious. She knew everything that happened in town. Pallet House was everyone's favorite place to be and gossip ran rampant. She picked up all the nasty things they had to say about her boy. How they thought he was ugly because of his features and scars, dirty because of his dark skin and wild hair, and even that he may be the corporeal form of an evil Pokemon because of his gleaming red eyes. And if they weren't commenting on his looks, they'd be gossiping about his origins. There weren't many orphans in their town. Even if children were tragically orphaned in these parts, they usually had other family to be shipped off to. But this boy was unattached and his parentage unaccounted for. Some people made wild speculation about the kid being a disobedient runaway or his parents being criminals. All in all, no one wanted their children mingling with him since only Arceus knew where he's been and what he comes from. 

This all had Delia seething. Who were they to say such things about her sweet boy. She thought he was the most darling thing, scars and all. He was nothing short of an angel in her eyes. But those small minded people were afraid to look past what they knew, just for a second, and see him for what he was. They were so blinded by the Pallet values they'd grown up with that relied on trusting their own and what they know above all that they wouldn't let this sweet child into their community. 

Delia had known about it within a month of Ash's arrival. She worried, of course, since she didn't want him to be hurt by their spiteful neighbors. But time went by, and Ash seemed to be attracting good attention from adults and children alike. There were a few families in town that were happy to see him and didn't pay his appearance mind. Ash made friends as had Delia. She figured maybe the little group of friends they had would be enough to protect him and allow him to have a normal childhood despite the greater majority of Pallet's foolishness. She even tried to convince herself that Ash would work his magic and make friends like he had with the other children who came his way, so she gave in to the idea of him going to school. He needed to socialize to properly integrate with Pallet after all, and once they had more contact with Ash, and saw how wonderful he was, things would be better, right?

No, that bitch Rina Saito had to go and open her trap. Delia knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but there was no way in hell she was leaving her boy to go through with it. The rest of Pallet be damned, her boy was too good for them anyways. He had nothing to prove and there was no way she was gonna let them harass him into subjugation. Like they'd tried to with her after the accident. 

The Pallet Delia knew growing up was warm and friendly, but she saw the ugliness after the accident left her devestated. If you diverted even a little from their ideals, you essentially became an outcast. She remembered the times after her mother in law and before Ash when she was trying to continue going on despite the depression. She remembered the backhanded comments, 'Oh you look almost as nice as you used', 'Look who's finally showing her face again.' They didn't like how despondent she was or that she seemed to put in less effort with her appearance. Pallet was a town of hard working people, all of whom lived fulfilling lives with happy families. Delia no long fit their mold. By criticizing her, telling her to move on, even pushing bachelors her way, they were trying to get her to come back to the Pallet ways. She tried for a while to seem more cheerful, but Delia just couldn't live a lie. It got to points where she considered leaving Pallet, but the only place she would know to go was Celadon because of her in laws. Unfortunately, she wasn't one for city life. The few times she'd visited had been a lot, with the bright lights and constant noise she couldn't even imagine a life there.

On her more trying days, she even considered ending it so she could make all the madness stop and be with her loved ones again. But Kaoru just had a knack for appearing when she needed her most. Kaoru would hold her close and force her to let it all out. They talked through her emotions and helped her to realize it was okay to not be okay yet, or for a long time, or ever even. She needed to stick around though because she still had so many who loved her here. And her business was her husband's dream. How could she leave just when it was flourishing? So she threw herself in her work and let her once friends know that this person who is lost but still fighting to become better was who she was now. No, she would not be considering dating again for a while, no she didn't want to come to your dinner party because she knew how you talked about her behind her back. Cutting back on her socializing with Pallet was one of the best things for her. Delia was able to give herself time to heal and grow and take the leap when sweet Ren came along. She finally had the space to work through her issues without people's influence and superficial concern and she became better for it. 

But the same can't be said for Ash. He's young. He needs to go to school, to learn, to make mistakes and learn from them. But she wouldn't risk him doing all that in such a toxic and unforgiving environment. When they finally reached home she set him down in the living room couch. He had the most fearful look on his face. Like he was at fault for all this. Really, why couldn't they give her sweet boy a chance?

"Did I do something wrong Miss Delia?"

"No, sweetheart. You could never do something wrong. It's...just that Pallet has some unkind people. I thought they wouldn't bother us, but I was wrong."

Ash had his fair share of experiences with unkind people, so he could understand not wanting to be anywhere near them. But that meant something else too.

"So, no school?"

"I'm afraid not dear."

She could see the disappointment in her boy's eyes, it was heartwrenching. Something that other children could have so easily, her own would have to skip out on because of ill will.

"This may not be a great substitute, but I can keep teaching you. I may not be a scientist or be able to have a whole gym class for you to play with, but we can do fun things besides just reading and writing by adding on cooking lessons. And Mr. Tone can teach you about building and surviving in the woods. Better yet, I'll teach you material on the Pokemon training license exam! Most kids don't get to even look at that stuff till they're nine. With you learning it a whole year ahead of them, you'll be sure to get that license on your first try! How does that sound dear?"

Delia desperately hoped he would take her up on her offer. It was the best she could do in this situation.

The moment she saw his eyes brighten up and sparkle with excite made her practically jump for joy.

"Yeah! That sounds way better than school. I'll get all the attention and be the best!"

She didn't have the heart to remind him he'd be the only student, but at least he was getting excited.

Ren came rushing into the home. He was a bit winded.

"Huff..huff... everything okay in here?"

"Mr. Tone, Mr. Tone, I'm not gonna go to school anymore! Miss Delia and you are gonna teach me everything I need. Isn't that great?"

...What? Not what Ren expected to happen. After Delia called that awful woman a halfwitted bitch, and carried away her boy, he stayed back to make sure they got their point across. He though mothers in the big city were scary, he dated a couple, but these women were next level. Usually he'd keep his head down and ignore what they'd say about Delia and Ash, but at least they had the decency not to say anything in front of the kid before. That's what set him off today, made sure they knew just how cruel they being, to a child no less. He was probably hurting his chances at getting some future business out of them, but he wasn't that desperate for money to worry about getting work. Besides, he wouldn't want to be employed by Delia and Ash's tormentors anyways. He was worried of walking in on the boy crying. Ren had always weak to tears and could never handle his mother or sister crying, it was part of the reason he relented to her marrying his stepfather and why he spoiled his sister rotten. He wouldn't even know where to begin if Ash was upset by what happened, especially since the reasons behind it all would be too complicated to explain to an eight year old. But hey, this was better than anything he could hope for.

"Sounds great buddy! How about you go play for a bit."

Ash knew that was code for we need some alone time, so he ran off to his room.

Ren looked at Delia with an inquisitive stare. 

"You never answered, is everything okay?"

Delia wanted to cry, to scream until her throat was raw, but no more. She had Ash to worry for, and someone to help her.

"No, if anything it's better this way."

Ren smiled, there's that unyielding strength he fell for right in front of him. "Good to hear. So, how are we gonna do this?"

"The right way. Let's do it!"

"Do what?"

She gave him a pointed look.

"Oh...oh, OH! That! Really?"

Ren hated that he was actually questioning this miracle. He asked Delia if she'd consider marrying him a little over two weeks ago. It was honestly a spur of the moment thing. Delia had taken him to the little meadow by a lakeside on the edge of the forest. The stars were out, the air was warm, and Delia looked so gorgeous talking about how excited Ash was to start school. It sorta just came out.

He hated himself for just blurting out it out like that, especially since she looked so shocked. They hadn't really talked about long term. Delia was a complex woman. She'd been through a lot and had lost nearly everything. Getting her to like him was a challenge, but getting her to trust him was a battle of wills. The only reason she had even given him those cooking lessons in the beginning were out of neighborly kindness, no interest in him what so ever. It took him saving Ash for her to finally give him the time of day and even accept one of his invitations out. Everything went wrong though, his nice clothes got chewed up by a recently hatched Growlithe, and the only clean clothes he had clashed awfully and made him look tacky. Then he was late because the pup hid his shoes. And it didn't stop there. Delia just looked so perfect that night, and he hadn't gone out on a date in a while, that he super stiff and awkward the entire date. Delia was the one who took the reigns and took him to get the best seafood he had at a little place by the docks, and even took him fishing! He hadn't fished since he was a boy and couldn't stop going on and on to Delia of how he and his grandfather spent a whole day fishing only to catch nothing, but it was the still the best day of his life because they saw the most incredible, and almost inconceivable thing: a Red Gyarados. No one believed them, but they both knew it was out there and knowing it existed was like their own little secret. 

By the time he realized he was probably talking her ear off, it was time for them to head home. He knew he really screwed up this date and was not expecting another one as he walked her home and said good night. There goes his shot with a great woman.

But then, Delia tugged him down and kissed him on the cheek.

"I had lots of fun tonight. Let's do it again soon."

At first he was caught off guard. She wants to do this again? But he wasn't one to look a gift Rapidash in the mouth. In fact, he immediately asked her out to dinner again. And then, he started making more visits after repairs. Ash seemed to be more welcoming. Their little projects got him to open more to Ren, but he could still be little closed off at times. He was definitely a harder apricorn to crack than Ren was for his own step dad, but Ren knew Ash was a good kid. It was only a matter of time before he got comfortable with him. He just needed to keep doing his best.

Then came the family dinners. Those were something he looked forward to. It was a huge change from eating in his dark little apartment by himself. Delia's home was beautiful, the food was always good, and more importantly there was company. The first time he caught himself thinking that they were like a little family made him feel ashamed. Delia had told him straight out that she wasn't sure what she wanted, but she wouldn't mind a few outings here and there. But the more he thought about it, imagined it in his head, it felt so right. He didn't say anything about it to her up until that point. 

Delia looked deeply in his eyes, she had a sad look on her face.

"I don't know."

"That's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

He meant it too. He'd wait it out, Delia was worth it. And here it was, an answer. But was it for the right reasons? Is she ready, or just forcing it for Ash's sake?

"I'm not complaining, but I need you to know that I'd help with Ash even without marrying you."

"I know you would, but I'm tired of how they talk about Ash and I. If you start teaching Ash, you'll probably be here more often. This town looks down on these kinds of things. Last thing I need is for them to start calling me a whore when they're starting to get more careless around Ash."

"Oh." So it was an image thing. Ren could understand that. His time in Pallet has shown him just how conservative and nitpicking these people could be. Poor Delia was a victim of a bad sequence of events, yet remained kind and strong despite them. Yet the only thing anyone cared about was how she was wasting away in her home, out of her mind for taking in that child, and just plain loose for letting a man so new to town in and out of her home so carelessly. And honestly, if this would help Delia even a little, he wouldn't mind that being the reason why they get married. Though he would've preferred it was also because she loved him. And wanted to them to be a family as much as he did.

"But...I've been thinking about that night. I said I wasn't sure because I didn't want to move on. I wasn't expecting to find people to love after my mother in law left me. But then came Ash, and I saw a child who could be like the one I lost. But he wasn't that. He was more. He made me wanna be happy and live more. At first it was for his sake and then it became for my own. And then you came along. You were kind and funny. Our dinners together were like a dream. Everyday made me happier, and you made me fall in love with you a little more every time I saw you. I was devestated when I lost Jun, but I've had enough time to accept it and become the me I am now. I want you in my life. I want you and Ash to be my new family."

There was a pause. And then Ren wrapped her up in his arms and held her close to his chest. 

"You have no idea how happy you've made me. You wonderful woman"

Delia laughed,"Glad to hear it. But we've got to start planning right now. I wanna be married by the end of the month."

"The sooner the better. Can't wait for it all to be a reality."

The first thing they did was sit Ash down and explain what was going on. He seemed a little awkward about it, but said that if it made them happy he was happy. It might not be the most ideal response, but at least he seemed open to the change. They could work with that.

And within three weeks, they held their wedding at Professor Oak's lab. It was a small event, with Ren's family and friends from Celadon and Delia's own friends from around Pallet. They were both glowing the entire day. They were so sure that this was going to be the start of a great life together, and they were so excited to see where they would go together.

Ash, although was a bit skeptical. He liked Mr. Tone and everything, but he didn't know how he felt about living with him. It made him uncomfortable. Not to mention that he'd overheard Chase's mom talking to Fire and Leaf's mom saying she hoped they had a baby soon. If they had their own baby, he was probably gonna get boxed out more. The real kids always got more attention than fosters like him. He'd seen it more than enough times. But Miss Delia looked happy. Even if they'd been together for a little over a year, he really cared about Miss Delia and seeing her happy. He could tell that their time together was ending and he'd have to figure out something for himself soon. Maybe he should start thinking about that Pokemon journey deal. Him being out of the picture might make things easier for her and get him to avoid another weird living situation. In the meantime though, he'd enjoy what he could. He liked how they seemed like a little family. Miss Delia really felt like a mom to him and Mr. Tone could be fatherly at times. Yeah, he could work with this. It's not like it's gonna get any worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next two chapter are going be difficult to write, so look out for it next month.


End file.
